Transfiguration
by Mordak
Summary: Kim used to find the Darkness comforting. Not anymore. Not now she knows what watches and waits. I've rated this M due to some romantic content, but mostly unsettlingness and some violence. please RR. this is my first Fan Fic. now listed as horror
1. Chapter 1

Ok, so, um, this is my first fanfiction. don't ask why it exists. as usual for these things, Kim Possible characters are Owned, and Copyrighted, by Disney, and by their creators. Everything else: mine.

It was a warm, summer day in Middleton, and the kids of the local high school were in high spirits. Legendary cheerleader, schoolgirl and international crimefighter extraordinaire Kim Possible was just closing her locker and heading of to class when she literally bumped into an old "friend"

"Josh, Hi! Long time no see! How have you been?"

"Oh, hi Kim. I was hoping to run into you here"

"Uh, yeah, well this is my locker, so, you know, not that surprising" She looked at him askew. There was something odd about him, something not quite right. He still looked like the same Josh Mankey that she once would have been tongue-tied to talk to. But that was more than a year ago, and, in many ways, she was a different person. But still, there was something about the way he carried himself, his hand gestures, that seemed out of place. He smiled, and she was caught off guard by it. His teeth looked even more perfect than ever, and his eyes, half closed seemed to sparkle dangerously. She found herself remembering the time they had spent together, and the feelings she still had. She was still fond of him, but she had found something more than fondness with another.

"Yeah, yeah, right. Anyway, I was wondering if we could maybe catch up, see a film, get a pizza, you know, whatever. It was not phrased as a question. With the forefinger of his right hand, he brushed a strand of hair away from his face, and leaned against the locker. His eyes still fixed on hers.

"…What, like a date?"

"Sure."

"Um, look, Josh, I'm sorry, but I just don't think of you that way anymore, and I didn't think you did either, I mean, we grew apart, you said so yourself."

"So? A guy can change his mind, right?"

"Look, Josh, No, I don't feel that way anymore, and I'm really not comfortable with this right now. Besides, I'm dating Ron now, and I've never been happier. Didn't you know?"

"Yeah, I did, but to be honest, I found it hard to believe"

"What!"

"Yeah. Come on, we Both know Stoppable is a complete loser. I mean, he's a nice guy, but, really? As anything more?"

" How dare you!" Enraged, she slammed a hand against the locker in front of Mankey's face, causing it to buckle. " HOW DARE YOU? Ron is the sweetest, nicest guy I know, he has always been there for me, he has never treated me like anything less than a friend, and a lady. No, maybe he isn't the coolest guy, or the most athletic, or whatever. That doesn't matter to me. All I know is that I will never love another like I love him, and that he is the guy for me!" as he ranted, she advanced on him, jabbing him in the chest as she did so, and as she finished, pushed him out of the way and stormed off, knocking him to the ground. While all eyes were on her, Josh calmly stood up, brushed off his sleeve and walked away, as he rounded the corner, a smile sparked up on his lips, and he raised an eyebrow. Without saying a word he stepped into the darkness. There was a brief chuckle, then nothing. He was gone.

Day's, weeks later Kim, while shopping at the Middleton Mall, one of her favourite pastimes, she, again, meets someone she hadn't seen for a long time, Dex, the " smart one" of the boy band, "The Oh Boyz" who had been saved from imprisonment in a remarkably unsuccessful extortion attempt. It was good to catch up, and Kim had always had a bit of a thing for him, ostensibly for his mind, but there was much about him that, in truth, appealed to her. His swagger, his build his smile and no small amount of personal charm all worked together to build one tempting specimen. They grabbed a smoothie, and chatted about nothing. It was nice, it was…fun. But, alas, fun must end

"So anyway, Kim, what about you? Still Saving the world on your own, every night?"

"Pretty much, well, except for the alone part"

"Oh yeah, the Computer dude,…Wade? That's his name right?"

"Yeah, there's Wade, but he mostly stays in his room. No, I'm talking about Ron. You remember Ron, don't you? He got kidnapped with you?"

"Oh yeah. THAT guy, you mean he actually helps out, doesn't just get in the way or anything? I'd have thought that you'd have got rid of him by now. That guy was just so annoying. And he didn't stop talking. EVER!"

she felt herself going red, and her fists clenching in rage. She took a deep breath, and counted to three, then ten, then twenty. In the end it took two and a half minutes worth of counting to get her temper in check.

"Uh, Kim, you ok? Only, you've been standing there for like" he looked at his watch "three minutes nearly, wow, um, just breathing and muttering under your breath."

" I'm fine, but I just wanted to clear up something about Ron. Yes, sometimes, he does get in the way, and I know, sometimes he can get on your nerves, but those little faults are meaningless when compared to all that he brings. He is kind, sweet, funny, and the most loyal friend I have, and I know that when my backs against the wall, he'll be there with me."

"Ok, I guess I didn't realise. To me, he just seemed like the, well, the comic relief. But hey, you know him, not me, not really. All I know is that, boy, do I pity the poor girl who gets with him. I can only imagine what they'd have to go through with him."

Kim had had enough. She kicked him in the shin so hard the crack was heard halfway across the mall, and, without saying another word, she once again stormed off.

Dex got up, feebly, and pushed aside all offers of help, grabbing a broom from a cleaner to support himself, he hobbled his way to the bathroom. As the door closed, he looked around to see that he was alone, then straightened up, dropping the broom as he did so, and smiled. A confident smile. A hungry smile. A wolf's smile. He brushed down his clothes, and, without difficulty, walked to the window, opened it and leapt. He never hit the ground. The cawing of a flock of crows started up, and the whirling of black feathers, and he was gone.

It was Friday, and that meant one thing to Kim. Ron Night. Sure, they spent most of their time together, but Ron Night was something different. It had always been important before they had begun seeing each other, but now, it was almost sacred. It was completely devoted to time together, and most of their friends and family knew not to bother them unless it was an emergency. Tonight, Ron had a free house, as his parent's had gone away for a weekend, and he was taking the opportunity to do something he'd wanted to do for a long time. He had dreamt about it, and thought of it whenever he was with Kim, and tonight he was going to do it.

He was going to cook for her.

Ron was not a skilled man. He wasn't that fast, was smart enough, but not in any academic sense. He wasn't athletic, and he did get in the way, it had to be said, when in any sort of melee, but there was one thing he did better than anyone he know. He was an excellent chef, and he wanted to treat Kim to the meal he knew she deserved. He had researched the perfect recipes, the perfect tastes to complement each other. He wanted tonight to be special, because, to him, she was the most special person in the world. He was busy in the kitchen when he heard the door. He checked his watch. God! Time had really gotten away from him; he still had to fill the profiteroles, then there were the chives for the soup, they needed to be chopped. The bell rang again. He sighed, and rubbed his eyes, leaving a streak of flour on his left cheek. Oh well, he thought as he went to the door, maybe Kim would be willing to wait and have a drink while he finished up. He stopped and looked at his clothes. Finished up and changed. Definitely have to change. Gah, there was flour everywhere. He realised he was just standing in front of the door, and opened it.

" Hey, Kimmie, look I'm sorry, but there's still so…much…to…do"

his voice trailed off and his mouth hung slack as he took in the sight before him. It was Kim, sure, but she'd never dressed like this for Ron Night before, a black number, short cut, and trimmed with red lace. Her shoes also black, stiletto heeled and laced halfway up her lower leg. Around her neck she wore a slim chocker studded with red stones. She wore her hair loose, and had to pause to brush hair out of her eye, an awkward human gesture that just served to make her all the more appealing. She smiled at Ron as he stood gawping at her.

"Well, I guess I should take that as a compliment" she giggled

"Uh, yeah sure" he shook himself back to sensibility, or at least, what passes for it in an 18 year old buffoon like Ron. " You look, wow, I mean, um, you always do, but this is, you look, you're just, wow." He tilted his head and rubbed his neck, a sure sign that he had begun to feel awkward. Kim smiled, she had come to love those little quirks of his personality, those weird little foibles. Besides, it looked like the dress had had its desired effect.

"Ron" she said, cutting him off in mid stutter "Thank you" she leant across to him and kissed him on the cheek. She stopped, and smacked her lips, raising an eyebrow as she did so. "Ron, you've got flour all over the place!" she laughed again, as he quickly rubbed his face, then raced inside to clean up. As he ran of, she could hear him mumbling under his breath

"Oh man! Ugh, and it's in the carpet!"

She rolled her eyes, smiled, and, stepping forward, closed the door behind her.

Ron ran into the kitchen all ready to panic, and stopped. The chives were all chopped, and it seemed like someone had filled the profiteroles while he was away too, but whom? How?

He heard a little squeak behind him, and turned, there, on the counter, was Rufus, wearing a little chef's hat, and saluting, a big grin on his face.

"Buddy! You are a lifesaver, you know that. Thank you so much, I owe ya a whole mess of nacos for this! And all the leftovers you want!"

pleased at the complement, and the promise of a reward, Rufus wagged his tail and did a little back flip.

"But I got one more favour to ask you. Do you think you could keep Kim company while I get cleaned up? I'm a mess, and she dressed up special for tonight."

"Hokay," squeaked the little molerat.

"I owe you big!" he shouted as he ran up the stairs to the bathroom.

Rufus chuckled at his friend, and skittered into the living room.

"Hi" he chirped

"Hey Rufus, is he getting changed?"

"Yup"

"So…has he been working in the kitchen all day?"

"Uh-huh" Rufus nodded, looking sad

"Oh dear. I thought that this would happen. He always goes that little bit to far doesn't he?" she reached down and scratched him on the head. "But, if he didn't, well, he wouldn't be Ron would he?" she smiled.

"Someone mention my name?"

"Ron!"

He had cleaned quickly, and dressed even quicker. He wanted to spend as much time as possible with Kim, with his girlfriend. She had always been in his life, almost as far back as he could remember, but, in the past year they had grown closer than ever before, and he had never known happiness like this. But, just because you're dressing quickly, doesn't mean you can't make an effort, right? After all, she did.

Now it was Kim's turn to gawp. She had never seen Ron dressed up before, not really. For the school dance, a year ago, when she had first realised how she felt about him, he had worn his dad's old powder blue tux, and that was the closest he'd gotten to really making an effort. This was different. He wore a light blue silk shirt, and black suit trousers. He had even gotten himself a pair of spats. Kim had never seen anything like it in her life. She smiled

"Looking good, Ron!"

"Feeling good, Kim" he replied, and chuckled. "So, anyway, dinner will be about half an hour, so what do you feel like doing till then?"

"Mmm, dunno, Ron. Watch a little T.V?"

"Oh, cool, Agony County's on!"

Rufus took this as his cue to leave. It's not that he disliked Agony County, but he could tell when there was something more in the air than television

Ron took his seat next to Kim and turned on the T.V. he settled in, and got comfortable. He glanced sideways at Kim and an evil little grin spread on his face. He yawned, stretching out and placed one arm around Kim. She snorted and turned to look him in the face. He was making I'm-so-innocent whistling noises and looking round the room, eventually, he looked down into Kim's face, and his face froze into a rictus grin.

"I cannot believe that you tried that old move. Explain to me what you thought you were doing?"

He tilted the his head sideways and, with his other hand began to rub the back of his neck as he spoke, a sure sign that he thought that he was in trouble and was trying to think of a way out of it. He gulped. His face still frozen in a grin "Uh, well, I thought that it would be a good idea because it's such a stupid move, and so old, and I thought that you'd find it so cheesy and weak that you'd think it was, you know, endearing." he stopped, and waited tensely for her response.

She smiled and murmured "Mission accomplished", and leant across, wrapping her arms around him. She kissed him on the cheek, and he finally breathed out, his grin relaxing back into its usual goofiness. She rested her head on his shoulder and held herself close to him. He kissed her on the forehead and she looked up into his face. He brushed a strand of hair away from her face, and rested his palm on her cheek, and she closed her eyes and rubbed herself against it. Ron's grin had faded by now. This wasn't a time for jokes, he could tell. He kissed her, softly on her lips, once, and went to move back, but before he could, she kissed him back, fleetingly, but with the promise of more. She placed her hands on his neck, and nuzzled his cheek. He moved his hands to her hip and the base of her spine, and laid her down on the couch. He kissed her on the lips again, then on the cheek, then just behind the ear, then began to kiss his way down her neck. She arched her body against him involuntarily.

"Ron…" she moaned. She knew it was not time, she could feel it, but maybe five more minutes of passion, then she would stop.

Maybe ten.

Maybe half an hour

Maybe…

Eyes open in the darkness, a coiling sign flares into existence then fades instantly. Not yet, wait.

The kimmunicator went off, breaking the spell. Kim sighed, and looked questioningly into Ron's eyes. He shrugged.

"You're the hero. It might be important"

"I know, but I'm being a bad date"

"Trust me, you really aren't" Ron rubbed his neck, where a red mark was beginning to show Kim's affection. "It's alright."

"she kissed him again, and he got up to stretch his legs, while she straightened herself up and answered.

"Go Wade." She sighed

"Sorry about this guys, I hope I didn't interrupt anything too major."

"…It's ok, but this had better be an emergency"

"Try several. No.1; someone has let all the animals out of the zoo and there are wild animals everywhere!"  
"Argh! Monkeys!" Ron yelped involuntarily

"Yeah, and lions and tigers"

"But were clear, there are also monkeys out there"

"Ok, yes, fine, whatever."

"Enough!" Kim yelled, sick of the pair of them already. Ron began to pout. She sighed and kissed Ron on the cheek. He brightened up a bit.

"Anyway, Emergency No2?"

"Right, yeah, have you ever heard of the Ebon Eye and Hand?"

"Can't say that I have Wade"

"It's this ancient artifact from the middle east, the only one of its kind. They think it's the only surviving evidence of an ancient civilisation that predates the Babylonians! No ones quite sure what it's for, or what it means. It's usually kept under lock and key in the British Museum, but for some reason it was shipped over to Middleton a week ago. Very hush-hush. There's not even anything on the 'net, and believe me, I've looked."

"Uh-huh. So, let me guess, it was stolen, right? Sounds like the Seniors."

"Yes, it was stolen. But if it was the Seniors, they've changed how they work. Take a look at the video footage."

The kimmunicator's screen changed to the view of a museum vault, heavily guarded. In a glass cabinet sat the item, a scale replica of a human forearm in black crystal. In front of it sat a large eye, in the same crystal, but, unlike a human's, it had a large slit cut into it rather than a normal pupil. The view remained the same for about 2 minutes then, suddenly, the items disappeared, without a sound. After another minute, one of the guards noticed and raised the alarm/

"Woah, that was weird. Could be the Bebes I suppose, but I thought they were out of commission."

"They are, and it's not them. I slowed down the footage and no change. One minute it's there, the next, gone."

"Ok, that's weird, but it's not really an emergency right?"

"Try international incident! The items were originally from Iraq, and were at the British Museum for safekeeping and study, and then they got shipped over here, so the British are blaming us, the Iraqi's are blaming the British, and diplomatic relations are being strained to breaking point."

"Why were they sent here?"

"No one knows!"

"Ok, I guess we've no choice then, we'll do it, but we're going to have dinner first, ok? I know for a fact that Ron went to a lot of effort for tonight." Ron's face erupted once more into a goofy grin.

"Sure Kim, I'm sure that the army and the police can take care of the animals for now anyway, but don't take all night."

"Sure"

"See you guys later"

"Bye Wade, and thanks for understanding"

"No Problem. Have fun!" waggling his eyebrows, and with a big grin on his face, Wade signed out.

Kim rolled her eyes, and headed of to join her boyfriend for dinner.

Rounding up the animals proved easy, despite Ron's gibbering about monkeys. When you've been in as many adventures as they had, a few spare animals seemed no problem whatsoever. The missing artifacts, on the other hand, proved more troublesome. After gaining access to the room where it was last kept, Kim and Ron searched for clues in vain. The place was spotless, no DNA, no hair no fingerprints, nothing. Wades search on the Bebes proved fruitless as well. None had survived the destruction of the last hive. There was nothing to tie the Seniors to the crime, and in fact, they still languished in jail following their last encounter with Kim. Wades searches did turn up something though

"Guys! I'm getting a large energy reading beneath the old abandoned library. It's registering like one of Drakken's lairs, but is off the scales! This might be connected, but be careful, something seems odd."

"You rock, Wade! We'll get this sorted, beat Drakken and see if we can salvage the rest of Ron Night" she signed off and they headed to the location.

Kim had noticed that Ron wasn't his usual chatty self this evening, and took the walk over to the library to try to get to the bottom of it.

"Ronny, sweetie, is everything ok? I know that Ron Night got a bit messed up, but I'll make it up to you."

"Oh it's not that Kim, that's the way things go, nobody's fault. Just something you get used to and move on."

"Then what?"

"look, Kim it's just, you know when we were on the couch earlier, and things got a bit…heavy?"

"Yeah?" she smiled at the memory, then blushed.

"I'm sorry."

She frowned. "For what?"

"For putting you in that sort of situation. For making you feel like you had to do that with me. For pressuring you." He sighed. "It was a stupid thing to do, and it wasn't the right thing to do."

She stopped. "What are you talking about?"

He continued, without really stopping to hear what she said. "It's just that you looked so beautiful, not that you don't normally, and there was something right about the moment, and I couldn't stop myself, and I know that if we had continued, I would have gone all the way, and I might have…hurt you, and I don't think I could live with myself if I did. But it was just a moment of weakness, I guess. That's all."

She smiled. She thought she understood now. "Ron, what makes you think you pressured me?"

He frowned, not quite understanding. "Because I wanted to be…with you?"

"And what makes you think I didn't want to be with you?"

"Yeah, but I mean _with you _with you"

"And what makes you think I didn't want that too? Ron, at that moment I did, and I doubtless will again. I don't think we are ready for anything like that yet, but do you know what?"

"What?"

She held his hand and looked him in the eye, and smiled gently. "I think were close. I just want it to be special, you know?"

They kissed, briefly, they had been honest about their feelings, and felt a tenderness for each other that was greater even than that they usually felt. They hugged for a few seconds, then continued on their way.

They arrived at the old library, long fallen into disrepair, and began searching for a way into the undercellar, where the energy reading seemed to be emanating.

"Uh, Kim, what do you make of this?" said Ron, pointing at a weird symbol scratched in the dirt above a trapdoor.

"I'd say we've found the entrance, but I don't recognise the symbol at all" she got out the Kimmunicator, and activated it, taking a digital picture of the symbol.

"Did you get that Wade?"

"yep, I'll look into it, and get back to you A.S.A.P"

"Please and thank you! I'll catch you later" she signed out.

A couple of hard pulls on the door opened it, and they entered.

Inside was not what they expected, a ceiling higher than it had any right to be, that defied the laws of physics. The floors seemed to flow seamlessly, as if made of one single piece. It was not stone, not brick, but some kind of unknown metal. Despite many twists an turns, the journey was an uneventful one, save for the constant murmuring of unseen voices. Eventually, the reached a vast hall, almost like a cathedral, with higher ceilings still, and imposing gothic architecture. At the centre, on a lone pedestal, stood the hand and the eye unguarded, unprotected.

"This seems a little trappish, no?" whispered Ron

"Still not a real word sweetie, but your right. still, I gotta try"

"Just be careful"

"Duh"

she pulled out the kimmunicator, hoping to use it to search for hidden laser grids or pressure points, but there was no response.

"Shoot! No signal? Here? We must be deeper than I thought."

She started forward tentatively, keeping an eye out for any strangeness. She made it to the pedestal without incident and reached out for the items, but her hands closed on empty air, as the artefacts swiftly faded from view. Suddenly, without warning the ground in front of her began to bubble and boil, seething. She leapt back, muscles tensed, ready to react. The ground shot up, forming spires and spikes. The ever-present murmuring grew louder, as the now liquid mass before her began to solidify into a towering peak, at the tip of which a throne formed. Around the throne, sculls formed, and statues of beings, some human, others just as clearly not, paying fealty. The few flickering torches that lingered in the corners stuttered and faded, leaving the two effectively blind.

"Kim?"

"Yes Ron?"

"I think we should run"

"Good idea, but where, I can't even see my hand in front of my face"

From Ron's position, a beam of light emitted.

"I brought a torch"

"You are SO getting a reward for this sweetie"

"No big"

they turned to where the passageway was, but it had disappeared, and there was no way out.

"Leaving so soon? Come, come. That's hardly fair is it? I go to such efforts." a voice in the darkness chuckled. Ron wheeled round at the sound, bringing the torch light to bear on it's source, but the batteries died suddenly, plunging them once more into darkness.

"Sorry, no direct light. It annoys me so. Oh, but you're kind need it to see don't they? Well let's see what we can do about that." He waved a hand, and the torches in the corners of the room flared back into light, but dimly, so that he remained shrouded in darkness seated on his throne.

"So, the famous Kim Possible, crime fighter, cheerleader, and all round hero. And, of course, Ron Stoppable, sidekick, friend, and now lover" two eyes flashed red in the darkness then faded "At last we meet. I suppose you're here for these." He produced the two artefacts from the darkness. "I really should have left them where they were, but I couldn't resist, such good memories, and, of course, if I didn't, you wouldn't be here, and we couldn't have this cosy chat."

"Who are you, what do you want with us?"

"Sh, child, patience, we'll get to that. In the meantime, just watch." With that, the strange figure placed the Eye against the Hand. Immediately, the hand grasped the eye tightly and began to hum. "So long since they've been allowed to function, last ambassadors of a lost people. So very sad. I remember when items like this were common, when the Alsicans, the people who made this item, controlled a vast empire. I remember when they sunk into decadence and greed, I remember when they devoured themselves in war, both external and civil, I remember when their slaves revolted and their cities burned. Now there are none left, and no others remember them." The humming had now grown quite loud, and sparks seemed to play on its surface. The dark figure pointed with a night shrouded finger, and the eye seemed to pour a blast of pure darkness and crackling energy at the spot gestured to, decimating the torch, discarded once its uselessness had been determined. Ron yelped.

"A child's toy, really." And with a wave of a hand, they separated back into the Hand and the Eye.

"How did you do that? No-one even knows what they are, who made them. How can you remember a lost civilization?"

"Simple, I taught them how to build the items, and others like them. I taught them the value of slavery, and of conquest. Of course I taught the slaves the value of freedom, and I spread dissent in the ranks of the military, and when it came down to it, I killed the last surviving Alsican, as I have with a thousand other lost civilisations, and will, doubtless do a thousand times more."

"Which leads us back to my original questions, who are you and what do you want with us?"

"in time, first, I suppose I should return these toys to their proper place. They have served their purpose." The artefacts faded from view again. "There, all safe and sound in your little museum. Now, the first question." He stepped forward, out of the lingering shadow, revealing his form for the first time. He stood tall, nearly 7 foot high, and slim and elegant. Dark of skin, white of hair, black of eye. His nose, aquiline, his stance, regal. Where his eyebrows should have been, instead were a line of small scales, and more scales graced the bridge of his nose. Just beneath his eyes jutted horns, as if his cheekbones had burst through his skin, and four small spikes also protruded from his chin. The sneer on his lips revealed his teeth slightly, revealing the sharp fangs of a predator. There was a twinkle of mischief in his eyes. His hair was braided, and long, and hung over his shoulder. Entwined within it, bone and teeth could be seen. Upon his brow he bore a black crown, simple and elegant with a single peak that extended far above his head, encrusted with jewels, also black. His ears were large and pointed, inhuman, and bore multiple piercings. His body, from his shoulders down to his toes, was covered in black armour, rife with spikes and in the style of scales. Upon his chest, at his solar plexus, he bore a large, unblinking eye, similar to the artefact, except that it constantly shifted its gaze around the room, focusing on anything that moved. His hands were completely shielded with black gauntlets, each bearing the strange symbol they had found outside. Each long elegant finger ended in a cruel, sharp nail, almost like a claw. In one hand he carried a goblet, encrusted with jewels. At his shoulders he wore a long cloak, black on the outside, but lined with red. Despite his obviously inhuman characteristics he cut a handsome figure. He looked down at Kim and smiled, and she felt herself blush involuntarily. She looked over at Ron, and he looked away, unable to meet her eye. Inwardly, she kicked herself for hurting him.

"For now, you may address me as The Dark Prince. Please, do not bow, I know it is customary…" they found themselves compelled to their knees. "Oh well, if you insist. No, no, that's quite enough, please."

"Now, to your other question, I want something very simple. You, Miss Possible, I want you."

"What?"

"Ah, Ron, you're presence is no longer needed, you may, if you wish return to your home" the passageway they entered through reappeared once more. "But only you, Miss Possible and I have much to discuss"

"No way, Uh-Uh, I'm her **side**kick remember? That means I stay by her side, no matter what."

"That is your decision; however, it may be one you find that you regret. Now Miss Possible, Kim, back to why I brought you here. I have been keeping an eye on you for sometime, watching your little adventures, and I have to admit, that you have peaked my interest" he stepped forward, off the edge of the spire, but instead of falling, he merely stood on the air and continued to walk downwards, as if he were on a staircase, until he stood in front of her. "It is not often that that happens these days, especially on this backwater little plane, so I thought to explore it further. My suggestion is this; Join me, here and let me show you pleasures unending, riches unceasing and power infinite!"

Kim was shocked. She looked at the Prince's face. He seemed even more perfect up close. She was surprised to find that she was tempted. Looking about, she saw Ron, with his big goofy face, and his stupid expression, and suddenly the answer was clear.

"No"

"What!" His grin froze on his face, and the mischief in his eyes seemed to fade, only to be replaced with cold anger

She stepped towards Ron, and took his hands in her own.

"You heard me. I'm flattered, but my heart belongs to another."

The Prince sighed "A pity." He reached out the hand bearing the goblet and let go, leaving it hanging in mid-air, and turning his back to the pair, began to ascend the staircase to his throne. "I had hoped to avoid this, but I'm afraid that you have rather forced my hand." He flopped down in his throne, lethargically, and made circular gestures with one hand. "It has been aeons since I was last defied, and never in matters of the heart, or of want and longing, and I'm afraid I cannot let that stand." He sighed, and pointed at Kim. A bolt of dark fire erupted from his fingertip and rocketed towards her. She shoved Ron out of the way and leapt. The bolt struck where she was standing, leaving a bubbling pool of liquid black metal. She landed a few feet away, but had to roll away quickly as a second bolt leapt at her, and a third, and a forth, countless bolts, each striking exactly where she landed, often only a fraction of a second after she landed.

"KP!" shouted Ron, looking around for a way to help. The Prince merely smiled, and continued to blast away, but with his other hand, he made a slow circle, and then grasped upwards. Ron made to run, but found he could not. He looked down at his feet, and found that the floor had melted and was working its way up his legs. He felt himself sinking into the ground. The Princes began to murmur something under his breath, and his shadow seemed to lengthen, stretching further and further until it reached Ron, then stopped. A heartbeat later, a figure rose from the depths of the darkness, devoid of face or features, a silhouette, but one unmistakable. The silhouette of the Dark Prince himself. It flexed the muscles in its hands and cracked its neck, then walked towards Ron.

"Kim!" she turned at the sound, and gasped in horror, as the shadow grabbed Ron by the throat.

"Ron!" She ran to save him, but a wall of black energy sprung up between them.

"Now, that would be too easy now wouldn't it, child?"

"Leave Ron out of this! Your problem is with me, not him!"

"Mostly correct, but he is a means to an end, no?"

"What do you mean?"

"Simply this; submit to my whim, or Ron dies. You have one minute to respond."

"You cannot be serious!"

"Note serious face!" He laughed. "No, no. seriously though child, have I ever given you reason to believe I am not? Look to your young love, see the danger. Do you truly believe that you can risk not believing me?" the shadow had by now circled Ron, and held his hands behind his back while one hand, with it's deadly nails, was held to his throat. They both continued to sink into the floor.

"Kim, don't do it! I don't matter I…" Ron was cut off as a band of shadow enveloped his mouth.

"Time is running out, what will you choose? The sanctity of your body and your will, or the life of your love? Do you give your all, or retain it and lose the person you would share it with?" he chuckled. " I wouldn't try anything if I were you though, I can't guarantee that my shade won't simply slit his throat if you do."

She looked about the room in a panic, looking for some way out of this situation, but there was nothing.

"Five seconds left! Four…Three…Two…One…"

Alright! Alright, just don't…don't hurt him. Please. Promise me. give me your word that you won't hurt him if I do this."

"Of course. I swear by all that I consider sacred, that if you submit to my wishes now, I will never cause Ron Stoppable to suffer or feel pain." He waved a hand. Ron stopped sinking, but remained rooted in the floor, mouth bound and restrained by the shadow. The wall of darkness dissipated, and the prince stepped towards Kim, masking the distance between them seem immaterial, and encircled her in his arms.

"Child, answer me this: Have you ever known another?" he asked, almost tenderly. She shook her head mutely, unable to speak. She looked to Ron, tears streaming down his face as he looked on, unable to look away. The shade had by now grasped his head from behind, holding it in place and forcing his eyes to remain open. She looked away, and a single tear rolled down her cheek. The Prince raised a clawed finger and, delicately, brushed it away, a gentle gesture that belied his intentions. He raised the finger to his mouth, and allowed the tear to drop onto his tongue. He smiled. "Such a fortunate child, to be embraced by Godhood. I shall try to be gentle" he went to kiss her on her lips, but at the last minute, paused and turned her head, instead placing a kiss behind her right ear. In spite of herself, Kim bit her lip in pleasure. No! She would not give him the satisfaction of responding, she would not betray Ron like that! She felt a slight bump and opened her eyes, realising that she was standing, alone on the ground. In confusion she looked to Ron, and noted with relief that he had been freed, and that the shade and the gag around his mouth were nowhere to be seen. She raced to his side, and embraced him. They hugged for a while, each relieved that the other was safe. They held each other, and kissed each other gently on the lips, then rested eyes closed, foreheads touching.

"How very touching"

They separated, realizing that the danger was far from over. Kim sighed "Look, can we just get this over and done with, please, I just want to go home and sleep."

"Get what over and done with? I consider our bargain fulfilled on all sides. You submitted to me, and Ron is alive and free."

"You mean you but him…put US through all of that, just for a kiss on the cheek?"

"Yes. Why, are you disappointed?" he laughed. "you are both free to go home. Oh, but before you do…" he floated out of the darkness, and touched down to the ground in front of Ron. "I'd like to shake you by the hand, Mr Possible, to show there are no hard feelings, and I'm afraid I must insist on it." He grasped Ron's hand and enthusiastically pumped it. With each movement, Ron seemed to flinch. "My dear sir, what troubles you? Do you still not trust me?" Ron shook his head "Ah, but remember, I swore never to harm you, did I not? I gave my word." Ron nodded, relaxing slightly "Oh, and Ron?"

"Yes?"

"Never trust a traitor" before he knew what was happening, Ron was pinned to the ground, his right hand jammed against his chest, and a knee pressed against his ribs. He went to speak, but felt something sharp and cold pressed against his chest. His ribs. He looked down and gulped. In the Prince's left hand he held a long, wavy bladed sword which was currently being pressed against Ron's ribs. He looked into the Prince's face, dispassionately, as one would look at a bug before crushing it.

Kim reacted first. "Ron!" she rushed forward, and leapt, aiming a kick directly at the Prince's head. Without looking up, he shifted his weight, pinning Ron's hand with his knee, and releasing his own right hand. He raised his hand, to head height, and folded all but his first and second fingers against his palm. Kim's foot connected with his fingertips, and it felt like she had kicked an iron bar. She dropped to the ground, shaking as the force of her own blow reverberated through her body.

Then it was Rufus' turn, emerging from the safety of Ron's pocket and clambering up the Prince's sword arm to bite him on the hand, but, before he could even attempt such a feat, he was plucked from the arm and held against a nearby wall by forces unseen.

The Prince pushed the tip against Ron's flesh, and pressed down on his ribs with his knee. Ron screamed in pain, as his flesh parted, and his ribs creaked. The Prince placed his mouth near to Ron's ear, and whispered "I do not do this because of hate, I do not do this because of love, I do this because I can, and because I must. I offer no excuses, and no apologies." Then, without any expression on his face he pushed down on the sword, forcing it further into Ron's chest, splitting a lung and exiting from the other side, pinning Ron to the ground. The demon headed pommel of the sword began to moan loudly, filling the room with the sounds of pain and mourning, but were all but silenced by the screams of Ron.

Ron's Scream jerked Kim out of her shock-induced daze, and she got to her feet in time to watch the prince twist the blade, remove it from her lovers ribs, and then wipe the blood on his clothes, almost clinically. He twisted the blade in the air, and it disappeared. He seemed almost surprised when Kim barrelled into him, tears streaming down her face, and began to strike him, two fisted, on the chest.

"Why? Why! You promised! You monster! You gave your word!" she punctuated each word with another strike.

"K…Kim?"

At Ron's voice, she ceased her assault, and quickly rushed to his side. The Prince smiled and raised an eyebrow. He had almost felt that last blow. He leapt into the air, landing on his throne, and settled in to watch, shouting as he did so "Do not be concerned. He shall be fine…after a fashion!" and he began to chuckle.

"Ron! It's ok, I'll, I'll go and get…somebody. They'll be able to help, there must be somebody to help!" she went to move away, but Ron grasped her hand

"Kim, it's no use. I can't breathe, and I'm losing too much blood, and by the time you get back it'll be too late." He wheezed. "Please, don't leave me here alone." She sunk down next to him, eyes red from tears, and he rested his head on her lap. She stroked his ears, and ran her fingers through his hair. He smiled, weakly, then winced and began to cough, spitting up blood.

"Kim " he began feebly " there's so much I want to tell you…"

Sh, honey, conserve your strength"

"No! Look, I need to say something before I…go, and I don't want to go before I've said it. Kim, I don't think I would have made it through everything, Camp Wannaweep, School, everything, if it wasn't for you. You've saved my life more than a few times, but it's more than that. You've given me the strength I need to continue, even though it was hard to do so, and your smile, and affection, has let me become the person that I am now. I could never repay you, but I can say this" he coughed, violently and more blood welled up in his mouth. It dribbled down his chin as he talked. "I love you, and I always will" with that, he shuddered, and his throat gave a dry rattle. His eyes rolled up into the back of his head. He was gone.

"Oh Ron, I love you too." A single tear dropped onto his forehead, and the Prince began to laugh uproariously.

And, his laughter ringing in her ears, and her body wracked with sobbing, Kim woke up.


	2. Chapter 2

"Kim, Kim, is everything alright?" it was her mother at the door to her room. She called down that she was fine, but the sounds of her tears betrayed her. Her mother opened the trapdoor, and climbed the ladder into her attic room.

"Kimmy, what's the matter?"

"Oh mom, I had the most horrible dream. There was this guy, and, and he…"

"Yes?"

"He killed Ron!" she sobbed again, and collapsed against her mothers shoulder. They hugged for a while, as her mother comforted her, and stroked her hair.

"It's ok, sh, sh. It was only a dream."

"But it felt so real, it was like it was real. I felt every footstep, I smelt the dust. Everything."

"Yes, the mind can be like that. I should know."

"I guess your right."

"Ok. Now, try to get some sleep, it's only 2.00 am." She hugged her again, and gasped "Kim, how on earth did you get a bruise here?" she touched behind Kim's right ear, and shuddered. "It's icy cold!"

Kim leapt up, and raced to her mirror, moving her hair out of the way. There, just behind the earlobe on her right ear, was a black mark shaped like a pair of lips. Where the prince had kissed her. Her mother, sensing that this had become private left for bed. Kim sat there, unable to think, unable to speak. Eventually, after about five minutes, she managed to shake herself out of her shock induced state, and there was only one thing on her mind: Ron. She called his beeper, but, after five minutes and no response, she panicked and called his 'phone.

"Hello?" came the eventual, feeble reply

"Ron!"

"K.P., is, is that you? What time is it?"

"Um, 2.15"

"Omigod, what's wrong?"

"Nothing, nothing, I just needed to hear you. I need to see you. Did I wake you?"

"No, no I was having trouble sleeping, so I'm just watching the Fearless Ferret."

"Ron, I need to see you."

"Ok, I'll be over first thing in the morning"

"No, I need to see you NOW. Come to my window. Please?"

"Uh, OK, if your sure. Is everything alright?"

"It will be. See you soon."

She hung up, and waited. She wouldn't feel right until she saw him. She thought over her dream, and the pain she felt at loosing him, and the words they shared. And she made her decision. She rased her hands to her nose, and breathed deep. The shirt she slept in, one of Ron's old ones, still had some of his scent. She found it soothing.

It was 2.30. She heard a tap at the window, and rushed over. He was dressed in his usual stupid shirt, and was struggling to keep his grip on the ledge. She opened the window, and helped him into the room, then smothered him with kisses.

"Woah, what was that for? Did I do something right?"

"Just happy to see you, sweetie, that's all. Ron, did you have to bring Rufus along?" she noted the now beaming mole-rat.

"Yeah, he's been a bit clingy. I can't seem to shake him at the moment."

"I can relate, but I wanted to talk to you about something private." She sighed, and sang softly to the rodent "Rockaby Roofy, on the tree top…" Ron smiled. Kim was always so gentle with Rufus, and she had a singing voice that always made him weak at the knees. Rufus yawned, and began to doze on the window sill.

"Now, where were we?" she smiled, and kissed him again, on the cheek, and hugged him. He winced and stifled a yelp. She frowned, and pulled away. "Ron, what's wrong?"

"Nothing, nothing, I'm fine. It's just a…football injury, yeah that's it, football." He tilted his head as he spoke, and rubbed the back of his head

"Ron, don't lie to me, you're not very good at it. Take of your shirt, and let me see. NOW." He knew better than to defy her in that sort of mood, and began to take of his top.

"It looks worse than it is" he excused.

She gasped. Across his right chest, starting on one side and running across to just under the nipple, was a deep, fresh scar, a hand in length. It had already started to heal. She began to tear up as she realised that it was where he had been pierced through by the Prince's blade. She turned him round, and sighed as she saw that there was an identical mark on his back.

"How, Ron, How did this happen?" she asked, although she knew the answer.

"I don't really know. I had this weird dream…"

"Dream?"

"Yeah, there was this guy in black, and he wanted… something important to me." Ron wiped his eyes, brushing away a tear. "and then he, well, he stabbed me with this long, wavy bladed sword." He shuddered at the memory "And then I woke up with this. It's too weird to even think about"

"Ron, there's something I think you should see." She pulled her hair out of the way, and revealed her neck.

"Kim, that black mark, there, that's where…"

"I know. I had the same dream. That's why I needed to see you. I needed to make sure you were ok. There are things I need to say" she sat down on her bed, and patted it smiling at Ron. He sat next to her.

"Like what?"

"Like, did you mean what you said, in the end?"

"Oh, uh, yeah." He sighed, and took a deep breath. "I did, I meant it all, even though you probably don't feel the same way, and I'd say it all again. I love you, there are you happy?"

She smiled "Very. You didn't hear what I said to you, after you… you know, did you?"

"No?"

"Well, the gist of it was I love you too!" she kissed him on the cheek.

"Really? I mean, I could see that you liked me, and all, but do you really mean that you love me?"

"Of course. Ron, when I saw what that…beast did to you, I thought I was going to die too, I thought I could feel the blade myself. It hurt, but not as much as when I thought I had lost you, and nothing in the world felt like it did when I saw you were ok." She rested her head on his shoulder, closing her eyes as she did so, and breathed deeply, inhaling his scent.

He embraced her, wrapping his arms around her, and kissing her on her forehead. He stroked her cheek with the back of a hand, and smiled. He could almost forget about the horrors of the night before. She kissed him on the lips, and her mouth parted for his tongue, and his for hers. Her arms wrapped around him, and she pressed her body against him. They sat, entwined for a while, before parting.

"So, I guess we should go and find this guy, huh?"

"Yep, we gotta find out what this is all about. Is that ok, Ron?"

"Yeah, yeah, I know we should, it's just, well," he sighed, and rubbed his eyes with his fingertips "look, last time we met him, he tried to kill me. Twice. And that was in a dream, and he almost succeeded, hell, he did succeed, the second time. And, what's worse, he tried to take you away from me." a tear trickled down his cheek. "I know I've said this a lot, but Kim, I'm scared. I saw the look in your eyes when you saw him, I know you liked him, and that you were tempted. I'm scared that at, best, if we see him again I'll lose my life, and, at worst, I'll lose everything I care about." He sighed, and slumped forward. Kim came to his side, and rested a hand on his back.

"Ron, sweetie, I'm sorry that I hurt you. It's true, I did find myself tempted. He was handsome, he was charismatic, but at the end of the day, all it took was one look at you, and any thoughts I had about that guy were gone. One look at your goofy smile, your freckles, your beautiful eyes, and I found the strength I needed to resist. I love you, and that's all I need to remember."

He smiled "You really mean that, K.P?"

"Completely and utterly"

"But…" he started, but was cut off as she raised a hand, placing the fingertips on his lips gently.

"Sh, Ron, please, trust me. we'll find this guy, we'll take him down, somehow, and we'll continue. Soon, he will be nothing more than a bad memory, OK?" she went to move her hand away, but he caught it as she did so, and, reverently, kissed her fingertips. She blushed.

"Ok, I guess we should go and find him then" said Ron, rising from his seat on her bed as he did so. She caught his hand and shook her head.

"Not now Ron, it can wait." She climbed into bed, and wriggled a little under the covers, then raised a had, bearing her nightshirt, and dropped it to the floor. Ron's eyes bulged and he coughed and shifted his feet awkwardly. He had become increasingly aware that he was in a girl's, indeed, his girlfriend's, bedroom, topless, and now that she had likewise shed her clothing, it had become too much for him.

"Oookay, well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow then, Kimmie, uh, sleep well." He went to grab his shirt and leave via the window.

"Ron, please, I don't want to be alone tonight, I don't want to be away from you tonight."

Uh, well, I guess I could sleep on the couch, if you're sure you want me to stay."

"No, Ronny, sweetie, just come to bed."

"I really don't know if that's such a good idea, honey" he spluttered

"Why not?" she pouted

"Because you're vulnerable right now, and, if we sleep in the same bed, I don't know what might happen, and if I took advantage of you now, I'd never be able to forgive myself."

She smiled. "well, first of all, I'm not vulnerable, and I don't think you could ever take advantage of me. Second, nothing's going to happen unless I want it to happen, so please don't worry, and come to bed." She patted the bed next to her, and smiled.

"But how can you be sure that something won't happen?"

"I never said that I didn't think anything would happen. I said that I know what will happen, and I'm more than ok with that."

"Uh, Kim, are you trying to say…?"

"Yes Ron, I'm saying that I'm ready. I'm saying that I think now, more than ever, would be right, would be perfect, would be special. But most of all, I'm saying that I want to be with you in every way." She held out a hand to him, grasping his own, and, squeezing it tightly, pulled him towards her.

"Are you sure about this?"

"Ron, I've never been more sure in my life" she pulled the covers down, revealing her small, pert breasts. Ron gulped nervously. She pulled him close, and placed his hand on her chest, and closed her eyes "here, feel how sure I am" she breathed in and out deeply. She released his hand, but it remained where she had placed it. After a few moments, she felt it begin to slide upwards, to her neck. She opened her eyes, to look straight into Ron's. He lifted her head gently, cradling her neck in his palm, and kissed her on the lips. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and kissed him back. He pulled away, and stood up from the bed.

"Ron, what's wrong. Did I do something wrong?" a tear trickled down from her eye.

Ron smiled "I was just taking of my pants, sweetie, please don't cry." He slid off his trousers, then paused, took a deep breath and slid down his briefs. He glanced over at Kim, and noted the reddening of her cheeks. He and Kim had been friends for years, and, due to his unique clumsiness, she had seen him in his briefs a thousand times, but this was a step beyond, this heralded so much more. He stepped towards the bed again, then stopped, the slow dawn of realization spreading across his face. He turned around again, reached into his pocket, pulled something out and then joined Kim on the bed, placing the retrieved item on her bedside table.

"What's that?"

"Well, you know how my dad is, the minute we started dating he sat me down and gave me 'The Talk', then gave me a condom. It's a good thing I had it with me I guess"

"I guess."

He climbed under the covers, and embraced her. They lay together, just holding each other, inhaling the others scent and becoming comfortable with each curve of their bodies. Ron rested one hand on the base of her spine, and the other between her shoulder blades. Kim kissed him on the bridge of his nose, then rubbed her own against his affectionately.

"Ron, will you still respect me in the morning?"

Ron pulled away, and looked her in the eyes. "Kim, I used to love to look out at the night sky, to see each star in their myriad thousands, blinking on and off in a blanket of the deepest black, but now, now it seems hollow. They may be beautiful, they may be perfect, they may number in their billions, but, Kim, they cannot hold a candle to you." He smiled weakly, and brushed the side of her face gently with a fingertip. "You ask if I'll still respect you? How could I not. You've been my best friend forever, and then you were my girlfriend, and now, you honor me with your love, affection and want. I only hope that I can show you, somehow, that I'm worthy."

"Ron, I was kidding," She said, tears streaming down her face, "But if you don't kiss me this second, I swear I'll scream" he pressed his lips against hers, and, mouth open, worked his jaw. He slipped his tongue into her mouth, and she reciprocated. He kissed her on her cheek, then the base of her jaw then paused, tilting her face away, and kissed her on the black mark behind her ears. She gasped, and nearly crushed him as she squeezed him tighter. She bucked her hips against him, grinding into his. He kissed her there again, and her vision swam. She bit her lip to keep from crying out, and began to shudder and shake as she climaxed. He had kissed her there before, but never had it had such a reaction. She lay back, exhausted as he began to kiss his way down her neck, causing her to arch her back, between her breasts and to her stomach. He placed a kiss on her navel, and she giggled. He, falteringly, with uneasy fingers, stroked her breasts, brushing over her stiff, pink nipples. She moaned in appreciation. He kissed her on her right breast first, more confident now, then her left. He flicked his tongue over her aureoles, then her erect nipples, taking one between his teeth and, gently, tugging. Her breath had become more ragged now. He began to suck on one nipple as he teased the other with his fingertips, then switched focus. He kissed his way down her body again, to her thigh, peppering her inner thigh with kisses and tiny bites. He hooked his fingers into the elastic of her panties, and paused, looking up at her face.

"You sure you want me to do this love?" she nodded, panting. He tugged at the panties, and she arched her back and lifted herself off the bed. Soon, they lay discarded on the floor, and she lay exposed before her love. She was breathing heavily now, panting with desire, and her vision had become clouded with passion. Yes, thought Ron, as he buried his head in her lap. This is right, this is natural, this is real, this is…

"Perfect" murmured the Prince on his throne, as he let slip a low chuckle. He had not achieved anything startling, anything major, merely caused two young humans, already in love, to couple. By no stretch of the imagination a difficult task, worthy of the time of a master manipulator like himself, but, nevertheless, it gave him some small pleasure, and, of course, it set things up so much easier for the future. He inhaled and breathed out deeply, emitting a gust of black-blue smoke, although he held no cigarette, no pipe in his hand, and, in truth, it was merely an affectation, as, indeed was the breath itself. He waved a hand, and the point of view shifted from Ron's to Kim's, then again to view them from the side.

Something hissed by his foot, he smiled and stretched down to scratch behind her ear. The creature at his knee purred at his touch. She appeared, at first sight to be a young lady, unclothed except for a collar round her neck and a belt at her waist. On closer inspection, her nature becomes clearer, as her ears seem over long, and pointed. As he scratched them, they shifted position slightly. At the base of her spine sprouted a long prehensile tail, tufted with fur and spotted that swished lazily. She flexed her fingers, and retractable claws popped out, if only for a second.

"What ails you, sweetling, do you not find their pleasure satisfying?"

No, they couple, and that is which they seek. They do not rut to gain power over another, to get what they want. They are what they want. He worships her, and she does not take advantage of it to achieve her own ends. She adores him and he does nothing to manipulate it. I have no power over them" she grumbled.

"And you" he said turning to the figure seated on the right armrest of his throne, a raven winged angel, with a black halo made of thorns and tears. Across her back lay a series of welts and white scars. In one hand, twisted around the wrist, she bore a hooked whip, cruel and vicious. It's barbs dug deep into her skin, and drew rivers of blood that ran down her arm. She wore mostly black leather, and she too had a collar round her neck, but thick and studded with many spikes. "What do you see when you look at them?"

"I see two who couple not in desperation, not in cruelty or malice. There is nothing for me here."

The prince smiled, and ran his fingers through the black feathers of her wings. He plucked a handful, causing her to cry out in pain. She licked her lips in pleasure. The feathers grew back almost instantly.

"And you, best beloved? What do you make of them?" he said, turning to his left, to the statuesque figure seated there, a statuesque, pale woman, red, frizzy hair flowing down her back, between the wings at her shoulders, vast and bat-like, red and scaled. She wore loose white and black robes, that almost revealed her naked breasts as she leaned forward, but didn't. beneath the robes, four long, red, spiked tails briefly flicked into view.

"They couple with passion but not abandon. They couple in love, not in lust." She turned her head away, so that none could see the single tear that ran down her cheek, or the look of envy that crossed her face. "I can do nothing with them." He tenderly placed a finger on her chin and turned her face towards him, placing a gentle kiss upon her lips.

"Yes, they're sickeningly sweet aren't they. Well, let's see how they cope, hmm? I think I have found rare sport here precious ones." He waved a hand, and the image faded away. He laughed, loud and long.

Mrs. Possible squirmed in bed, woken by the noise coming from her daughters room. She smiled at the squeak of the bedspring. She would talk to her daughter tomorrow morning, for sure, but for now, let her and Ron enjoy each other.

"Please, Ron, now, please"

He gulped nervously. "Ok, Kim, if your sure you're ready" he kissed his way up her body again, to her face and kissed her cheek, then her lips. She kissed back hungrily, biting his bottom lip gently as he pulled away. He reached over to the bedside table and retrieved the condom, tearing open the packet, and sheathed himself, then shifted position

She stifled a yelp as he entered, and visibly winced. He stopped.

"Kim, I…I don't want to hurt you, I think I should stop."

"Don't you dare, Ron, I need you, now, here."

He thrust, gently into her, awkwardly avoiding her eyes, unable to meet her gaze. She grabbed the sides of his head with both hands, and forced his eyes to meet hers, bringing his face close.  
"Please, Ron. Don't look away. It's important to me. I need to see your eyes, I need to know that you can see mine."

She let go, and his eyes remained locked on hers. She held her breath for a moment, timing in her head, then began to breathe again, in time with Ron's own. She writhed her hips, and ground them against him, bucking in time with his own rhythm.

Now it was Ron's turn to wince and grimace, the wound on his chest causing his shoulder to ache.

"Shh, Ron, don't worry, just relax, you've been through enough."

She, with one fluid movement, flipped Ron onto his back and positioned herself on top of him. Her eyes never left his own.

"Ron, honey, you've been through too much tonight, please, just lay back. It's my turn, anyway." She began to ride him, slowly, rhythmically. As always, she kept her eyes fixed on Ron's own. She leant forward as she did so, so that the maximum amount of her body was pressed against Ron, and her face was close to his. She began to buck more violently now, moving faster against him, and began to breath a little more erratically now. His hands moved to her hips, then, slowly, to her back. He held her close, wrapping his arms around her, and bucked against her, more confident now. She yelped softly with each thrust, panting her need, her want. He thrust harder, and faster, and she the same, the pair of them caught in the moment, in their passion. His breath came faster, and hers increased to match it, subconsciously. They could both feel it welling up inside of them and, instinctively, they found each others lips, and kissed passionately as they climaxed simultaneously.


	3. Chapter 3

Ron slept, but did not dream, instead sinking into a healing sleep. He had been through a lot that night, and was completely drained.

Conversely, Kim found herself unable to sleep, instead resting her head upon Ron's chest and feeling it rise and fall, listening to his snoring. She smiled. It was comforting, just feeling his breath. She noticed that their hearts were beating in time with each other. Maybe that's what's meant to happen, when you do this, when you're "with" someone she thought, and pressed herself closer to him. His arm was instinctively wrapped around her, and tightened as she moved closer. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, drinking in his scent. She found herself seized with a need, an urge, and raised herself up, leaning over to his scar and stared at it. Slowly, gently she lowered her lips to it, and kissed softly. Ron inhaled sharply and his eyes jerked open.

Ron awoke with a start. Oh Man, he thought. He'd been having a wonderful dream. He and Kim had been together, had _slept_ together, and it had been perfect, and natural and without any of the awkwardness that he had feared. And now he was awake. Awake and…this was not his bedroom. His eyes snapped open more fully, coming more awake. He looked about. No, this was not his bedroom, but it did seem familiar…Kim's bedroom? Could it be? He felt something brush against him, and realised he was not alone. He sat up slightly, and looked down into Kim's face, eyes wide with concern.

"I'm sorry, did I wake you? Did it hurt?"

He smiled "Yeah, but it's ok. I can't think of a better way to be woken up." She smiled then, and blushed a little, and shuffled up the bed so that she lay next to him, face to face. She kissed him on the lips, gently, and lay close to him.

"Thank you for last night, Ronnie. It was…"

"Perfect?"

"Yeah." They kissed again, then Kim rolled over in his arms, and they spooned.

"Wait, What time is it?"

She glanced at the clock by her bed. "About 4.30."

"Oh, I should probably go."

"Um, Why?"

"If your Parents see me here, well, let's just say I've been told it may involve a Black Hole"

"It's OK; they won't be up for at least an hour and a half."

"Oh, cool." He kissed the back of her neck, and squeezed her close, entwining his legs with hers. "I like lying here with you like this. It's so soothing."

"Mmmm"

"I…I meant what I said you know. About loving you. About respecting you in the morning."

"I know. I meant it too."

"Cool. Cool" he kissed her neck again "Very cool."

They lay together for what seemed an age, gaining strength off each other. In such a situation, how easy is it too lose track of time?

"Kim!" came the voice at the trap door, followed by a knock and a repeated call.

"Oh my gosh! That's my mom! What time is it! 8.00! how did it get to be 8.00?"

they both leapt out of bed, and Ron grabbed his clothes from the floor, hopping around the room as he dressed quickly. She grabbed one of his shirts and donned it in record time, then slipped on her discarded panties.

"Just a minute mom! Oh man, what are we going to do? My dad is going to freak if he sees you here!"

"I could hide?"

"where? She'd spot you in a second!"

"I know, I'll climb out the window and down the ladder, and I'll see you later, K?

"I guess, but be careful sweetie."

"Of course"

He opened the window and began to climb down, but as he did so, the ladder fell, and he was left hanging from the ledge.

"Ron!" she rushed to help, but the door opened and, panicking, she shut the curtains and turned to face her mother with a big broad smile on her face.

"Good morning Mom! How are you this morning?"

"Oh, I'm fine Kimmie. You?" she inquired with a quizzical look on her face. She tilted her head back to look under the bed. Hmm, nothing.

"Never better! So,…anything I can help you with, 'cause I sure do need to get dressed?"

"What, can't a mother and daughter have a nice chat once in a while?" she opened the closet, peered inside, then closed it.

"So, what about?"

"Hmm?"

"What would you like to chat about?"

"Oh, well, I was just… Ok, cards on the table. Kim, was Ron here last night?"

"What! Come on mom, you know me better…"

"Kim! I'm not deaf you know!"

She sighed there was obviously no point in lying. "OK, Yes." She tensed for the inevitable response

"I thought as much."

"Wait, you're not mad?"

"No, of course not, I like Ron. I'm happy that it was with someone like him, rather than some swaggering gangsta wannabe who didn't respect you." She sighed. "However, I'm not happy about the sneaking behind my back. That's something I could have done without."

"I know mom, I'm sorry. I just needed to see him last night. I needed to make sure he was ok, and one thing led to another…"

her mom smiled, then frowned "You were safe though weren't you? You did use protection?"

"Yeah, yeah don't worry, we're both smart enough for that at least."

"Good, good, I'm glad to hear it. So…was it …?"

"Oh, uh…yeah it was…nice"

"Nice. Good."

"Mom, do you remember me coming home last night?"

"Uh…sort of. Now that you mention it, I don't really remember you coming home, but I remember thinking that you were home"

Kim shuffled her feet awkwardly. "Uh, Mom, can I ask another question?

"Sure Kimmie, what?

"You know when you're with someone? Is it…normal for your hearts to beat in time?"

"I…what?"

"Doesn't matter."

She looked around the room, and snorted. "Uh, Kim, one last thing?"

"Sure, what?"

"Where is Ron hiding, I can't think where else he could be."

"Oh he's…" her eyes widened in realisation "Oh god, he's hanging of the window ledge! Ron!"

She turned and ran to the window, throwing it open. Ron was nowhere to be seen.

Ron hung in as long as he could, but the scar on his chest was staring to hurt like hell.

"well, I see only a couple of options here. 1: hang here till my arms fall of and I fall; 2: drop and hope for a safe landing" he looked down. This was a mistake. He gulped and looked back up. "Not going to happen! Ok, 3: try to kick of hard enough to reach the tree, and climb down." He exhaled sharply. "Good, so trying the impossible it is then. Well, that's more Kim's thing, but I gotta do it. Boy I could sure use here grappling hook hairdryer now." He took a deep breath and kicked off from the wall towards the tree. To his surprise, he reached it easily, and grasped a large branch with both hands, wrapping his legs around it.

"Wow, either spending so much time with Kim has rubbed off her skills on me, or that was some serious monkey power!" he began to climb down. A hand waved in the darkness, and the branch began to snap and crumble. It fell, with Ron following soon after. Flailing wildly, he grabbed another branch, swung from it to another, ricocheted of that, and landed safely on the ground.

"Woah, Ok, I'm dizzy now." In the darkness, a chuckle, and, perhaps, applause.

"Kim, Ronald's here! And he looks dishevelled!" shouted her dad from the door.

Kim and her Mom exchanged a surprised look and raced downstairs.

"Ron? Are you…Ok?"

"Sure, sure I just fell on my way here. Into a bush. Not out of a tree at all. Yep, just arriving here. Now"

"Uh-huh"

"Yep"

Kim's father left the room, muttering something about how there was no confusing bushes and trees in his day, and that kids obviously had too many concerns these days, leaving Kim, her mother and Ron alone in the room.

"Ron, my mom knows. About last night. She heard us."

"Oh, um, so, I guess I'm pretty much doomed to a black hole trip then, huh?"

"No, no, she's actually Ok with it, and I don't think dad knows yet. Right?" She turned to her mother.

"No, but he will need to know, and it's not fair to keep these things secret from him. Or me. I think you should tell him, Kim. And I also don't want any more of this sneaking around behind my back, Ok? You're both adults, you can be together if you want, but I don't want you sneaking him into the house, that is not Ok. Ok?"

"Ok, mom, your right, and ordinarily it wouldn't have happened, but last night was, well, it was different. I can't explain it now, it's complicated."

"Ok, Kimmie, I trust you, but just, don't give me a reason not to, OK?"

"Ok". They hugged, then Kim broke away, and moved to Ron's side, plucking a twig from his hair, and kissed him on the cheek. "As for you; what happened?"

"Uh, well, my arm was starting to hurt, because of, well, you know, and I tried to push off from the wall to the tree, and I managed it, but it broke and I had to bounce my way down, in short."

"Aw, poor baby." She kissed his cheek, and giggled, stroking his nose with one finger. "Wait, you managed to reach the tree from our house? Have you been training in secret?"

"No! It's weird, I didn't think I had a chance, but here we are."

"Huh, weird."

"Mmm."

Kim ran upstairs to get dressed. Ron went to follow, but Mrs Possible raised an eyebrow, and, embarrassed, he froze.

Finally, she was ready, rushing down the stairs with a still bleary eyed Rufus in hand. They left.

"So, what shall we do today?"

"Uh, well, we could catch a film, or just hang at the mall, or whatever. It's all good."

"We do have to find out about last night you know."

"I know."

"But, I'm not touching that until we know what were up against a bit more."

"Good. Safe is good. Um, when he…kissed you, is it me or did he say he was a god?"

"Something like that." She frowned. "Yeah. I just took it to be your usual supervillain ego thing."

"I hope so. He seemed super powerful didn't he though?"

"Totally. I hope Wade's found out something on that symbol. I'll just check." She pulled out the kimmunicator and flipped the switch. Wade's face appeared on the screen.

"Guys! boy, am I glad to see you. I tried to contact you last night, but the Kimmunicator wouldn't respond at all. I couldn't even track the signal."

"Yeah, it refused to work, we thought it was just too deep underground or something"

"Could be it, I guess."

"Anyway, any news on that symbol?"

"Oh, yeah. I did a search on all the police files. Nothing. I tried Interpol, the FBI, CIA, everything, still nothing. Eventually, I found a thing in a KGB file from 1968 about a Cult in the former USSR."

"A Cult?"

"Yeah, they claimed to worship the old gods, but when they were raided, it was like an…orgy of blood and indulgence, before an altar shaped like a serpent, coiled around the world. All the members refused to talk, but what could be gathered from notebooks and religious tracts at the scene, they worshiped the snake, and believed it to be king of this world, and that, in time, he would devour it"

"Lovely"

"It gets better. I did another search, this time for more religious groups, and I found mention of an organisation calling itself "The Sanctuary of the Angel Wormwood" in England, in 1457"

"1457? Your kidding?"

"No, I'm not. They too claimed to worship something archaic, in this case an obscure angel mentioned in biblical apocrypha, again known as the 'Prince of this World' or, possible, "Prince of the Air", and, just like the other one, when they were raided, it was revealed to be a front for a heretical group. They were all executed for their practices, burned at the stake. Apparently, not one of them screamed as the flames consumed them. And that's not all. Africa, Japan, right here in the US, there's evidence of these groups everywhere, some going as far back as 1300."

"OK, that's pretty weird. And all of them refer to the 'Prince of this World'?"

"Yep"

"OK, well, thanks for the info, and if you find out anything else, let me know"

"Can do."

"See ya"

She signed off, and grabbed Ron's arm, wrapping it around her shoulder, pulling him closer.

"Did you follow all that, sweetie?"

"Yeah, not thrilled about it. Maybe he is a god?"

"I'm not buying it. He's already shown himself to be willing to lie, why should we believe him now?"

"I know, but, the cults, and the weird symbol?"

"Proves nothing, all it means is he did some research, same as we did. I know we should still be careful, I'm just saying that I don't think he's as powerful as he'd like us to believe."

"If you say so, you're the brains. And the brawn. And the stealth come to think of it."

"Come on sweetie, you know that's not true."

"No, no, it's fine. I know I don't contribute much. At least nothing really, you know, tangible, but hey, I'm a pretty good distraction, and, you know, I think I'm getting better at the whole acrobatics stuff. I managed to hit the tree from your window, so that's something."

"Ron…you do contribute something you know?"  
"Yeah, what?"

"You. That's more than enough"

his hand left her shoulder, sliding down her body to her bare midriff, where it rested. She shivered at his touch, and wrapped her arms around him, burying her face in his neck. She kissed him, repeatedly, nibbling as she did so. He responded in kind, his other hand finding her waist, and began to suck on the side of her neck. Fumblingly, he reached into his pocket, took out the key and opened the door. He stepped in, bringing Kim with him. She looked up, and noticed where they were.

"Uh, Ron, what are we doing in your house?" she said, a small smile on her lips.

"Oh, well, I just thought I should have a shower and change, you know, freshen up."

"Oh." Her face fell a little, and she went to sit down on the couch in the living room.

"I won't be long." She heard him race up the stairs, then stop. "Uh, K.P? Do you…want to join me?"

She leapt up, racing past him and grabbing him by his collar, pulling him after her, into the bathroom. She shut the door after her.

They lay together, afterwards, on Ron's bed as he ran his fingers through her hair, and cradled her in his arms. Suddenly, the kimmunicator went off. Kim sat up, grabbing her top and pulling it on as she did so. She picked up the kimmunicator, and flipped the switch.

"Go Wade…oh, hi Minique."

"Hey. So where are you, we were supposed to meet at Bueno Nacho a half hour ago."

"Oops! My bad, had a bit of a hectic night, and I guess time just got ahead of me."

Ron kissed the base of her spine. She blushed a little and bit her lip, hoping that Monique wouldn't notice.

"Uh-huh."

We'll be there ASAP, promise."

She signed off, and turned to Ron

"Well, someone's in a mischievous mood!"

"Mm-hmm! So, what're you going to do about it?"

"I'll think of something!" She collapsed against him and giggled, kissing him on the lips. Then, she sighed.

"You know, we really do have to go."

"Sure."

"Anyway, I don't know about you, but I'm feeling kinda hungry."

"I could eat"

"they dressed, and left, entwined, to meet their friend.

"Hey, Monique"

"Hey, girl. So what's up? You said last night was a little hectic. Ron Night get a little outa hand?"

"…"

"Hello, Earth-to- Kim?" She followed her gaze to Ron, standing in line for the cash register, then back to Kim's face. Her eyes were half closed and a smile spread across her face. Monique waved a hand in front of her face, and she shook herself back to the real world.

"Sorry, what were we talking about?"

"Ok, girl, you're acting weird. What happened last night? I mean, My God, your acting like you two…"

Kim blushed

"You didn't! Girl, tell me everything!"

"It's not like that! Well, ok, it is, but there's other stuff too." She began to explain what had happened the night before, in detail, showing the black mark behind her ear, and explaining what they had found out about the Prince since then.

"Woah!"

"I know!"

"So what are you going to do?"

"What can we do? Go back there, better prepared, and take him down! If we don't he'll not only have won, he'd be able to strike us down when we least expect it!"

"Ok girl, calm down.."

"Sorry, sorry, I've been feeling a little amped up since… you know, I'm fine now. Really." She was clearly anything but.

"anyway, changing the subject how was…it?"

"Wonderful, thank you for asking." She blushed. "He was very gentle, and attentive, and it was everything I could have hoped for." She glanced over at Ron. "Is it me, or is Ron looking really, really good today?" she bit her bottom lip.

"Now that you mention it, yeah, he seems more confident, and collected, and, well, I hope you don't mind me saying it, kinda hot."

"You really think so?"

"Totally! Oh, it looks like I'm not the only one!" Monique gestured to Ron, where a girl, was brazenly trying to flirt with him. He held up his hands in front of his body, and backed away, then pointed to Kim. She looked over, with a sneer on her face that soon dissipated as her eyes widened in fear. She backed away, and ran out of the restaurant. Ron shrugged, and continued to wait for his order. Monique looked over at Kim. Her hand was clenched into a fist, and she was practically shaking with rage. She slammed her clenched fist into the table, causing it to buckle under the force. Fortunately, Ron's order had by then been filled, and he sauntered back with an over-laden tray of Nacos, Chimmeritos and sodas.

"Hey, I know that you didn't want anything, but I got plenty, so dig in…what's wrong?"

"Kim saw you chatting to that other girl, and now she's staring to freak."

"Kim, come on , don't be silly, calm down" He hugged her and stroked her ear, his finger brushing the black mark, her breath catching in her throat as he did so. She exhaled deeply and seemed to return to her senses.

"Freaky! That's what it is! Just freaky! You shouldn't be able to just calm her down with a touch!"

"Not the time Monique! Kim, are you OK now?"

"I guess. It's just that, when I saw that girl trying to get with you, I just saw red."

"Get with me? Really?"

"Yeah, wasn't it obvious? You actually don't have a clue do you?"

"Nope, never have never will. I'm serious. If someone doesn't tell me, I won't know if a girl is into me."

"That is true. I remember the whole Yori incident."

"Oh yeah…"

"So, Ronnie, sweetie, if you had picked up on her vibes, would you have been tempted?"

"Of course not. What could she offer that you couldn't? Nothing, less than nothing. As you, of course, know by now, it's you I love, and no other. Now, snackage?" he kissed her forehead and sat down and began to stuff his face methodically. Kim sat next to him, grabbed a soda and began to slurp happily, as if the last five minutes hadn't happened. Monique shook her head, sat down, grabbed a nacho, and ate.

In the darkness, words are whispered. In the darkness, something waits, and thinks and schemes. In the darkness, a signal goes out. In the darkness…

The kimmunicator started ringing. Kim answered

"Go, Wade!"

"Kim, Ron! I don't know what's happening! I was doing some more research on that symbol, and the computer just went nuts! It started flashing the symbol everywhere, then logged on to this website." A page flashed up on the screen, a black page with red writing.

"Ugh, what does it say?"

"I have no idea! It isn't in any language I recognize!"

"Ok, this is getting weirder by the second. Ron, I think we need to go and deal with this. Now!"

"Ok, I guess we should. See ya Monique, eat as much as you want! Actually, I think I'll take this for the road!" he grabbed a Naco and a couple of soda's and headed for the door, where Kim was waiting impatiently. She wrapped her arm around him, and they left.

"Just weird" she said again to herself, and shook her head.


	4. Chapter 4

They arrived at the old library at about 4.00, the light still bright, the day still in full swing, and headed straight for the trapdoor. But the trapdoor was no longer there.

"Wade? I don't get it, the door was here, I remember it being here, right?"

"That's where it was. This is odd. I'm getting no power reading from the place either, and just last night it was through the roof."

"Can you do a scan of the cellars from here? An X-ray?"

"I can try, hold the kimmunicator out." She complied, and it began to beep. "Nothing, no weird sub-basements, no metal tunnels, nothing at all."

"I don't get it. He was goading us, clearly, sending you messages. He was taunting us. He wanted us to come back, but where are we meant to go?"

"I have an idea"

She turned to Ron.

"Well, it might be completely wrong, but do you remember he seemed a little obsessed with the darkness? And he had a weird sort of control over it? I think it's too bright out. I think he prefers it a little later." In the darkness, a figure smiled in appreciation, and waved an imperious hand

"Ron, that's crazy! How could he just make his entire lair vanish because he likes to sleep till late, that's…impossible!"

Ron looked down at his feet, sheepishly, and muttered something.

"What?"

"I said nothing is impossible, you should know that more than anyone"

"Kim, I…I think he may be right! The webpage, I don't know how, but it's in English now. I'd been trying some programmes to decipher it, but I don't think that's what did it. It's like it just decided to be different."  
"Well, what does it say?"

"It's a poem."

"WHAT?"  
"I know. It reads 'In sorrow, in pain, in suffering, there am I. Come, my darling, seek me in the shadows. Seek me in the darkness. In darkness, in darkness"

"That's all?"

"Pretty much"

"I guess you were right then, sweetie. I'm sorry I snapped at you"

"No big"

they hugged.

"So…what do we do now? Just wait?"

"I guess"

"Well, I do have one idea, hold on…" Wade tapped furiously at a keyboard "There!"

"What did you do?"

"Just hacked into a weather control machine the governments been working on. Strictly hush-hush. I know it's not night, but if we obscure the sun enough, it may just work." As he spoke, clouds gathered as if from nowhere, blocking out the sun and blanketing all of Middleton in darkness. In the dirt the symbol flared into existence, and two ornate doors, wrought in black iron and dark wood, faded into view

"You rock, Wade! Wait, those aren't the same doors…"

"I'm not surprised. I think this guy bores real easily. I wouldn't be surprised if everything is different."

They opened the doors, and, exchanging a glance, entered.

The passage seemed wider, more ornate, but also, much shorter, leading to a large anteroom. On the opposite end stood a door. Slowly, they crossed the room, muscles tense for any sudden moves. Suddenly, as their hands reached for the handle, two shadows peeled away from the wall, circling them slowly, and landing either side of them. They had billowy, indistinct forms, and seemed content to wait for their next move.

"I'm afraid that the master is preoccupied at this time, and is taking no visitors. I must apologise, but it really is imperative that you leave."

They turned at the voice. A man was walking toward them from the entrance they had just taken, arms folded behind his back. His eyes, mouth, and nose were completely covered with black cloths, each of which, in turn, covered with red runes and seals.

He held his hands behind him, and was clad in black leather armour. He was hairless, and pale as a man who had never once seen the sun.

"Who are you?" Kim asked

"Please, forgive my rudeness." He gave a stiff bow "I am Jiramon, chamberlain to the prince, and master of his household." His voice travelled well, despite the bandages on his mouth.

"Oh, well, I'm.."

"I am well aware of who you are, and I must say it is indeed an honour to host such illustrious guests, but, alas, as I have already stated, the master is taking no visitors at the moment. I will of course escort you to the exit"

"No, you will not. We came for answers, and we aren't leaving till we get them!"  
"Most regrettable" he sighed and brought his hands forward. In one hand he held a long, wickedly jagged blade. "Most regrettable indeed."

"Why is it always blades these days?"

"Not the time sweetie!" she leapt into combat, levelling a flying kick at Jiramon's head. He dropped forward, and effortlessly dodged it, raising a hand and catching her ankle. Without struggling, he turned and flung her into the darkness. There was a thud.

"K.P!" Ron ran to her side, but was cut off by Jiramon.

"I do so wish you had not forced my hand. It is…unseemly. Impolite"

"I'd say it's more than impolite!" snarled Ron, and leapt past him, desperately trying to reach Kim. Elegantly, Jiramon pressed a hand to his chest and a leg behind him and pushed, toppling Ron to the floor.

"I'm afraid not." He raised the knife and plunged it towards Ron's chest. He rolled away just in time, saving his skin but leaving his top badly torn. He kicked out at his attacker, but he merely connected with air as Jiramon back-flipped to safety. He held out his free hand, and hurled three bolts of darkness at Ron. Cursing, he leapt to his feet and got out of the way just in time.

"Jiramon was it? Well, next time you try to take me down, make sure I STAY down!"

Kim rocketed from the darkness, barrelling towards Jiramon. He sighed and leapt vertically, landing on her back and kicking away, toppling her to the floor in a heap. He landed facing away from them.

"I have tried to be patient. I warned you, I asked politely, I pulled my blows so they would not be so final." He shook his head. "But some people do not learn, and the only lesson you can teach them has to be the last lesson." He turned to face them, and froze. He bowed, low and stiffly, and sheathed the blade.

"Forgive me, sir! I did not realize! You are, of course, most welcome here, as indeed is your consort. I see now that you bear the masters mark, that both of you do." Kim followed his gaze, at least, what would have been his gaze had his eyes been uncovered, to Ron's chest. A large tear was now obvious on his chest where Jiramon's knife had struck, revealing his scar. But the scar had changed, become deep black in colour, and additional lines now extended along it's tips. She gasped as she realised. The symbol was now emblazoned on Ron's chest. Kim frowned, and looked down, realizing the source of Jiramon's change in mood.

"Uh, Kim…is it just me, or do I really have that damned thing on my chest?"

She nodded.

"Great. Just great." He sighed, then stopped with a frown on his face. "Wait, so we can go through now, because of this thing?"

"Of course, Honoured Guest. I should never have attempted to detain you." He drew the blade again. "I will, of course, take my own life as recompense"

"NO!" they shouted.

"As you wish, favoured ones. If you will follow me please. The master IS, as I said, indisposed currently, but I'm sure that he will be done momentarily. In the meantime, perhaps you would care for refreshments on the balcony?"

He led them towards another door, off to the side. The two shadows immediately whirled to protect it's sanctity, but fled shrieking at one word from Jiramon. He opened the door, leading to a long ascending spiral staircase.

"Wait, how can there be a staircase that long here? We can't possibly be that far down, can we?"

"Down? Why, madam, you are currently at least 50 stories of the ground" Said Jiramon as he began to climb the stairs.

"What? But that's…"

"Impossible?" said Ron with a smile.

"Oh…shut up!"

They climbed the rest of the way in silence, Kim pouting at being tweaked, Ron smiling almost smugly. Eventually, they reached another door. Jiramon opened it, and led them through.

The room was large, and had none of the gothic architecture of the previous room, instead being open with Corinthian pillars and a fountain. Distributed almost randomly around the entire room were large stone statues of various bizarre figures. They went and stood before a large ogre-like creature, it's eyes an face twisted into a plaintive grimace.

"My lord crafts each of these figures from memory, each taking but a single night. He is a master of many arts, my Lord. Come, you may watch him at his tasks below" he lead them to the edge of the balcony.

"Wait, please help me! Help me to die! He brings the stone to life before he carves! My existence is suffering itself! Oh, why do you not help me!" called out the ogre soundlessly, for, while the stone was given life, it was not given movement, and no tongue was included in the crafting.

As they travelled to the edge of the balcony, they studied the statues before them and, stopping in front of one, Kim gasped and pointed.

The statue was of two lovers entwined, lips at each others throat. They were unclad, save a single sheet that slipped gently to the floor. His right hand enveloped a breast, and his left a buttock. Her fingers clawed at his back, and her legs wrapped around his waist. On his chest he bore a thin scar just below his right nipple. She bore a strange black mark on her neck.

"Ah, the master's latest! A most amazing likeness, is it not?"

"I'm gonna kill him! There's nothing else for it! I'm gonna have to now. How dare he? How DARE he!" there was a chuckle from Jiramon. "And what the hell do you think is so funny?"  
"Kill him? Very good! Very funny indeed madam! Of course you know it is impossible to kill the master. Why, you may as well kill the moon, or the north breeze! At least they are fairly inconsequential! Now, come and observe his works!" and, finally, they reached the edge of the balcony.

It overlooked an even more vast room, all in white and red. At it's centre, a large red seal had been placed, not the symbol that they were so familiar with, but a new, more horrible one. The Prince stood at the edge, bearing a slim dagger. He was clad in long black robes, embroidered with strange red symbols.

"Naride, Sepoch, Radi, Melchor! Come! I summon by the names of Khet! Come! I Call By the Seal of Suffering! Come! I Bind you by the Sevenfold, and by the Hosts of the Boarders! Come!"

From out of the shadow, a naked girl stepped hesitantly. Ron gulped, and looked away hurriedly.

"Ron, is, is that you I think it is?"

"Don't know, not looking, not staring at the naked girl, lalala!"

"No, look Ron, it's Justine! But what would she be doing here?"  
"Watch, and see the masters greatest art!"

The Prince looked at Justine Flanahan, so called "Queen of the Science Fair" and smiled. He threw the knife to her, and gestured with a nod and a wink. She blushed. Holding out one hand, she sliced downwards with the blade of the knife on the palm, wincing at the pain. The blood fell into a waiting chalice. She turned to the Prince.

"Is, was, um, is that right? Did I do OK?"  
"You did fine, my dear, thank you." He wrapped an arm around her, placing his lips to her cheek. With his free hand, he raised her still bloody hand to his lips and gently licked the seeping plasma with a long, forked tongue. The clawed fingertip of one hand teased her left nipple, and she cried out.

"Please, now, yes? Now master, you promised?" he released her, and stood back, one hand at his chin.

"Are you my equal?"

"N-no master of course…"

"then how is it that you presume to tell me what to do or not to do, to remind me of my promises?"

she dropped to her knees, tears streaming down her face. "I'm sorry, master! Please, please forgive me! Have mercy I beseech you?" she prostrated herself on the ground and wept.

Kim went to move but a hand restrained her. To her surprise it was Ron's

"Even if you could help her, she'd hate you for it" He said with a sigh.

After five minutes of grovelling, the Prince reached a hand out to her and smiled. "Alright, mercy it is then." Gratefully she grasped his hand and began to press her lips to his fingertips, seeming not to care that those lips now bled where they met the many spines and thorns of his gauntlet. "Thank you, master, thank you, thank you!"

"Jiramon! Please escort Miss Flanahan to her quarters!"

Jiramon stepped into the shadows, and stepped out below beside the pair. He held in his hands a long cloak, which he drapped over her shoulders as she stood.

"Who are you? What's going on?"  
"I am Jiramon, The Lords Castellan and Major Domo. Come, let's get you to bed. The Master will join you shortly."

He led her out of another door, closing it behind him. The Prince chuckled and stooped to pick up the chalice, turning once more to the circle at the centre of the room. He raised the chalice overhead, and his smile faded.

"I give you the blood of a virgin child" he poured the blood from the chalice into the centre of the circle. "And the tears that she'll shed as I lay her down. I give you the spit of my scorn and my malice" he spat into the centre. "I bind you know, warlock, traitor. I bind you now, I call you now, by words unspoken for a thousand years, words unspoken by a human tongue. Words unheard by human ears" he paused and looked up to the balcony through the sides of his eyes, and smiled. "Sanich, feron, marcu shax, renom , morvu, rasliv, caras, chemor!" he spat the words, clenching a fist in front of him as he did so. Kim raised her hands to her ears, and gritted her teeth. She looked over at Ron, eyes wide with fear and shaking.

"I know those words. I…I've heard them before. But where?"

The Prince finished, bringing his hand down in a cutting motion. For a moment nothing happened, then, from the darkness at the edge of the seal, movement. A stag stepped forward, it's breath misting, antlers vast and cruel. It bent down to the blood, sniffed, and began to drink. It stopped and lifted its head, licking the blood off its lips, and went to take another step forward, but seemed to falter. It collapsed in a heap on the floor, and shook violently. In time, it grew obvious that the shaking was not from itself, but, rather, something moving under its skin. Its mouth and eyes snapped open and millions of white maggots poured out. They quickly began devouring its flesh, stripping it to the bone in a matter of seconds. Then, they turned on each other, consuming themselves until there was only one vast maggot left. It split its skin down the middle, and a snake, long and black, emerged and curled itself inside the now gleaming skull. Roots and thorns erupted from the ground, enveloping the stag's remains. A whistling noise erupted, the sound of the searing desert wind, and the stag was covered with white sand. Soon, the sand began to shift, and, rising from it, standing on two hoofed skeletal feet, was the stag, vaster than before, it's antlers sharp and cruel, it's forelegs ending in large, cruel paws. It's flesh seemed composed of thorns and roots now, and it oozed something not quite blood, not quite sap, but grotesquely other. It raised it's colossal head and roared.

"Who dares to summon one such as I? Fool! Do not call up one you cannot put down!" It went to move forward, to breach the circle, but screamed in rage and frustration at it's edge.

"Argh! The Seal of Maramon! Impossible! Who of this age remembers the powers of Maramon! No matter! I will still crack your bones to suck upon you're marrow!"

"Will you now?" the Prince stepped forward, revealing his face. The stag stopped, and shook with fear. it's mouth hung open and the serpents head emerged and spoke in sibilant tones.

"Forgive us lord! We did not now…we assumed…"

"I Know what you assumed! Oh, how you disappoint me! I created you so long ago to tempt, to beguile, to confuse. And what do I find? Instead of a tempter and a traitor, just a hungry ghost, driven by his own appetites." He sighed, and reached forward, grasping the beast by it's antler.

"Please, lord, forgive us? We can do so much better, please!"

"Alright, I forgive you" he jerked his hand, and a sickening snap could be head echoing through the hall. The beast hung limply in his hands, unmoving. He let go, and it slumped forward to the ground, still. "I forgive you." He let the robe slip from his body, revealing black armour, less ornate, less spiked, less lethal than before. He looked over to Ron and Kim and smiled. The balcony began to melt and flow, forming a staircase down to him. He began to climb to meet them.

"Kim! Ron! What a pleasure! How are you both?" he smirked. "I'm sorry you had to see all that unpleasantness, but you just can't make good help can you? I'll just dispose of the remains, won't be a moment." He waved a hand, and thick green liquid flooded the chamber. It hissed and steamed. "there, that should make everything sparkle, shouldn't it? Now, what can I do for you both?"

"Well, first of all, what did you do to Justine?"

"Oh yes, you know each other don't you? Well, she is a smart child isn't she? She managed to find out about me all on her own, find out how to reach me. Quite an achievement for an evolved ape."

"What did you do to her?"

"Hmm, oh nothing. She came to ME! she did all of this to herself! She wanted a boon, a favour, and I made a bargain with her, that is my way"

"What did she ask for? What did you ask in return?"

"I think she was supposed to ask for some insight, some understanding of how the world came to form. It was always knowledge with here wasn't it? Anyway, that was what she intended to ask for, but, well, she changed her mind quickly."

"What do you mean?"

"She viewed perfection, and suddenly her questions didn't matter to her anymore." He preened, and led them through a door to another room. His towering throne sprung up at a gesture and he leapt to his seat.

"So, what does she want now?"

"Simple; Me!"  
What?"

"I'm quite serious. You could say she has found God." He chuckled. "yes, she worships me. a wise move all things considering."

"You monster! You've, you've…brainwashed her!"

"Don't be so foolish! There was so need! She did it to herself. Is it so hard to believe? She spent her entire life searching for the answers to the infinite, and now, she is presented with them. Of course she is going to worship me! It was inevitable. I am the culmination of all her life's work!" he looked at Ron. "Besides, I think someone here might understand what I mean more than others."

"Ron, what does he mean?"

"Uh, well, I dunno…I guess he might be talking about me and you."

"What? What about me and you?"

"Well, I spent my entire life trying to be there for you, trying to be helpful, and now, well, I kind of fell for you long, long ago, and it hasn't stopped getting stronger. What is stronger than love? I guess worship. I kinda understand how Justine feels"

"Your smarter than you look! But then, that can't be hard." He cackled

"It doesn't matter, we're going to get her out of here, for her own good!"

"Uh, Kim, I don't think we can. And I don't think we can afford to have Justine as an enemy. Look at here previous. She devoted herself to science, and achieved crazy things. Now she's devoted herself to him, and she's completely lost herself in it. Do you really want her to devote herself to hating you? To destroying you? Because that's what would happen."

"But…but we've got to do something, don't we?"

"Why? Leave her here with me, why ruin all my fun?"

"And you! What, you can't have me, so you do something like this?"

"Hahahahah! Oh, so vain! You're so wrapped up in your own things, your own self, that you can't see past it. This has nothing to do with you. This pact was made separate to you, and your presence had no influence on it. In fact, I made this pact well before you two even entered the equation. What makes you think that I ever wanted you?"

"But…last night?"

"Oh, that! You thought that was serious? So foolish. No, merely a test."

"What?"

"Of course. I had to test the weakest of the pair to see if there was any point in continuing my plans."

"Weakest? Plans? What are you talking about?"

"Oh, there'll be time for all that later. Now, I'd have thought that you'd at least make the effort, clothes-wise. Never mind, I'll see what I can do." He clapped his hands once, and the floor beneath their feet welled up, enveloping their bodies before they could even cry out, then fell away. They looked down, and gasped. Kim was now wearing a long, black dress and long gloves. She looked at Ron. He was now wearing a black suit and tie. He touched the black fabric hesitantly. It seemed stick to his fingers, and ripple at his touch. Kim gasped.

"My backpack! Where's My backpack!"

"Hmm, oh, this?" the Prince lifted his hand. He held her backpack.

"Let's see what you keep in here, hmm?"

"Don't you dare!"

"Shush, child!" he opened the backpack and searched through it methodically "Grappling hook, rebreather, laser lipstick." He chuckled "your Wade is quite gifted. It's a pity that none of this'll work. I don't think science has a place here. Hello, what's this?" he raised an eyebrow, and pulled a long line of shiny foil wrappers out of the bag. "Condoms? And quite a few. I take it that you are no longer untouched, child?" he smiled a wolf-grin.

"Shut up! I needed to hide them somewhere! And don't call me child! You are not my father!"

"That's where you're wrong!"

"Dude, that is sick and wrong! After what you tried to do with her last night?"

"How literal you humans are! Alright, I am not your genetic father, but, well, there would be no Kim Possible without me."  
"Explain yourself!"

"Let me tell you a little story. It's about a man, lets call him Mr Paisley. He is Rich. Very Rich. And, also, little more than a child wrapped in a mans body. He has a toy he'd like to protect, so he sets up a laser grid, and promptly gets caught in it. Thinking quickly his head of security logged onto the internet, to contact Team Impossible, a world renowned crime fighting group. Unfortunately, in his panic, he got a girl looking to help people and do some babysitting. Ring any bells?"

"That's, That's our first mission!"

"Quite right! Now, here's a little secret you might not know: he didn't really get the wrong website, or at least, he wouldn't have if it weren't for some intervention on my part."

"But why?"

"because I was bored. Because I thought it would be entertaining. Because I didn't think you had a chance, and then I'd have a dead little cheerleader, as well as a moronic billionaire. But you succeeded! You performed excellently and without fault! That was a mistake perhaps on your part. You piqued my interest. I watched your exploits with interest, and you too Ron. I began to see how your dynamic worked. But I grew bored watching passively."

"So you stole the artefacts?"

"Ah, Kimberly, you really don't get it do you? You don't understand what I am, what I represent. Allow me to illuminate. I am a God! My wishes are paramount, my whims essential. But, there is more to it than that. I am ambition! I am drive! I am Ego, unchained, and without restraint or fear from Id or Superego! All who would do anything to achieve their goals serve me in their hearts. There is no limit to what I can do to human motivation, to reality itself! So I sowed my seeds, let them fester and quicken, and waited. Every now and then, I would survey them, to see if they had borne fruits, and, maybe, if it was called for, tend to them a little, as all good farmers should."

"What are you talking about?"  
"The Seeds! Honestly, you humans, if it's not spelled out for you, you don't understand! I set them to germinate in the hearts of those who, ordinarily, would achieve nothing spectacular. I gave them their goals, I made sure that, from time to time, the world kicked them repeatedly, just to set them down the right path. And I waited. Sure enough, they performed adequately. Well, you'd know, you've seen the results a thousand times by now"

"Who are you talking about? Drakken?"

"Of course! He was a great success! I gave him his ambition, his ego, his hubris! I gave him the drive to succeed, but that's not all. I made sure that it was YOUR father, Kim, that insulted him and drove him to crime, and also..., but first, answer me this: is Drakken smarter than your mother? Does he know more about, say, the human brain than her?"

"Of course not! My mother is a brain surgeon, and Drakken's, well, an idiot."

"Exactly! And yet he managed to switch your minds, an action that your mother considered to be impossible! Does that not strike you as a little odd?"

"Wait, are you saying…?"

"Yes! I gave him my Art! Or, at least, an impression of it. I gave him what is best termed, "Mad Science", the sort of thing that is not really possible. I made it possible, for a short while at least. Of course, I made it so that it required a vast expenditure of energy, and that the device was bulky and unwieldy. I mean, I don't want to be unfair about it, give him to big an advantage. Also, it probably won't work again. They need to constantly reinvent, to create, my servants, or they stagnate."

"You're to blame? But why?"

"Because I wanted to see how you'd react, because I wanted you to see how each other lives, what you each have to cope with."

"Really?"

"Sure. It's as good an answer as any. But he wasn't the only one. Take Lord Fiske, for instance. He would have been just another worthless dilettante without me, but I gave him the gift of obsession, gave him dreams of racial superiority, with the race in question being chimps and lower primates. I gave him madness, and, of course, I gave him "Mystical Power".

"Um, I've been exposed to that as well you know"

"I'm well aware, thank you. It made me laugh for hours. The idea of monkety power is of course, laughable. There is nothing even the least bit magical about monkeys. All of that, all that he achieved, comes from me. Of course, you cannot speak of Fiske, without speaking of Amy, one of my greatest accomplishments. Did you know that, before my intervention, she was a perfectly reasonable, ordinary biologist? There was mo chance of any startling breakthroughs from here, but she at least 'fit in'. I changed that, I broke her down, and rebuilt her. I gave her a taste of my drive, a spark of brilliance, a touch of ruthlessness, and a need to be loved. The Seniors I just gave obscene wealth, vanity and boredom, while Dementor I gave drive and a sense of drama."

"What about Adrenna Lynne, I guess you must have given her your drive and ambition too, huh?"

"No! That creature was perfectly vile all on her own, as was that buffoon Killigan, but I did give something to Gill, his vindictiveness and hideous mutation"

"That's a lie! He mutated because of the toxic Run-off from science camp at Lake Wannaweep!"

"Ah yes, Wannaweep. Now there's something I am especially proud of! There was a time when that lake was known for its beauty and splendour, a time when its shores sparkled cleanly and without contamination. That time has passed, long, long ago, and now it will forever be stagnant in the minds of others. I set it in motion that it would grow quick with corruption, that fetor would spread into every crevice. I had Camp Wannaweep built, then I made sure that you, Ron, would be sent there."

"You monster! Do you have any idea how that place has haunted me? How much that place has messed me up?"  
"Of course I do! That was the point. I wanted to see how far I could push you, whether it would crush you, or merely harden you, robbing you of your child-like innocence. As it turns out, it did neither, but it taught you to think on your feet, to roll with the punches. Important lessons I think you'll agree. Now, was there anyone else you were curious about?

"um, Motor Ed?"

"One of my lesser pieces, little more than an aptitude for mechanics coupled with a childlike destructive personality."

"The Jackal?"  
"Oh yes, he was one of mine, or rather, the talisman was, but, I confess, I did push him a little down the path of revenge. The talisman contains a mere fragment, a spark of my power. It grants some speed, and strength, and power, but nowhere near my level. It never concerned you that he behaved less like Anubis, and more like Set? Honestly, I thought that was obvious"  
"I'm guessing you had a hand in Shego?"

"Naturally. She is perhaps my greatest creation, my masterpiece. I gave her a keen intellect, intense personal charm and charisma. I gave her ruthlessness, and complete self sufficiency, and an inability to suffer fools. And, finally, I gave her the 'glow'."

"I thought that that came from a meteor?"

"No, from me, though it pained me so to give her light. They remember it as a meteor, because it is easier for the human mind to accept such things than what really occurs. I gave it to her brothers as well, but do you think you can understand why?"

"Because you knew that having to spend so much time with her brothers would drive her to evil?"

"Well done! You are learning! Ah, Alice, she was always such a sweet girl!"  
"Alice?"

"yes, didn't you know Shego's real name? I visit her, from time to time, but she believes them to be particularly lucid dreams. Still, she gives herself to me, completely and utterly, and worships me as an idealised male form, her perfect mate. She is, of course, right. My perfect form is legendary, my presence irresistible."

"Um I think not. I resisted you, didn't I?"

"Barely, and in a greatly reduced form. No, I needed to test you're devotion Kim, but I did not intend for it to be impossible, so I presented you with a mere fraction of my perfection, and, even then, there was a tugging on your heart. Now, Ron, I feel would not have fallen, even in the face of perfection. Observe." He batted his eyelids, and flexed his form. The armour seemed to become liquid, and flowed to new, more appropriate positions. Hiss face also changed, his eyes becoming more human, his face and hair colour switching, so that where once was black, now is white, and vice versa. His jawline became softer, more feminine, and the many spikes and horns that framed his face disappeared. His lips became more full, and lined with dark blood-red. His cheekbones became even more prominent. His waist narrowed, while his hips became rounder, and at his chest, two large breasts appeared. In a matter of moments, where once was The Prince, now stood The Princess, a vision of dark beauty, a gothic angel. Where once was forbidding armour, now there was only a bodice, a corset of red lace and black metal. A long flowing skirt of lace and velvet fell in her wake. Her face was unmarred by horns or spines, except, at her temple, two large horns swept back and framed her hair. Her crown also changed, becoming more like a queenly coronet. She looked down at Ron, and smiled, licking her lips. He edged closer to Kim, and cowered a little behind her, gripping her arm.

" See? He is presented with perfection, and he grows afraid, and seeks the comfort of his love. All is as it should be. This is why I selected you, Kim, for my test. Why test that which you know will pass? No, go for the weakest link."

"That is not fair! I mean, it's obvious to everyone that I'm the weak link in the group, not K.P"

"I would expect you to feel nothing less, Ron."

"So, can you take on any form, or just those two?"

"Come now, after all that we've been through, do you have to ask? All the times we've shared out there, in the lighted world?"

"What times? When?"

"Why, just a few weeks ago, I came to you, Kim. Twice. Once in the form of a former lover" his features shifted, and Josh stood were once he did not. "And once in the form of an admired celebrity" he shifted again, and Dex stood in his place. Kim gasped.

"That was you? Why? More tests? What did you do with the real Josh?"

"Nothing, he's in Peru on holiday at the moment."

"And Dex?"

"He had a fall ,in his basement, and broke both legs. He was unable to get to a 'phone, and I made sure that no-one found him. He should be dead by now."

"What? Oh my God!"

"No, only kidding. He had a car crash, they tried to cover it up, as it seems he was drunk at the wheel, but it'll be all over the news tomorrow. He'll be fine in a week or two though."

"Is that all of them? Who else have you appeared as?

"Are you sure you want to know?"

"Positive."

"Well, all right then. If you insist. Lets see, oh, here's one you've met a handful of times, always on the periphery really." He shimmered, and a suit appeared on his frame, his eyes became more human, and, if anything, more predatory. A wolfish smile spread across his lips, and he tugged at his sleeve with a ring bedecked hand.

"Jack Hench? Really? Why?"

"Why? Why anything? I needed to supply your villains with things, with henchmen, and this seemed the most direct way of doing it. Plus I got to throw my more interesting inventions into the mix. Like the Strength ring. Remember that, do ya, Ron? That taught ya a valuable lesson about being yourself. And, of course, let's not forget the attitudinator. Gotta let my boy cut loose once in a while, let him show his bad side. For one thing, it made you appreciate him all the more, right? And, of course, it led you two to your first "date", so if I achieved nothing else, there's that."

"You went to all that trouble for that? Why?"

"Because it served my plans, why else? That's why I also took this form." His features melted again, his form becoming fatter, shorter, more stocky. When he reformed truly, he was pale, bald but with a certain childishness behind his rutheless eyes.

"Big Daddy Brotherson? Ok, that one I can see. And it does explain his love of games."

"Exactly right! Now, who else… oh yes, of course, there is always…" he bent down, as if to pluck something from the ground, but the figure that arose was not the one that bent down. Gone the wolfish grin, gone the suite of purple and the slicked back hair, replaced with girlish form, with pouting lips and friendly eyes. She giggled girlishly, raising here fingers to her lips. "Oh stoppable-san with your American style misunderstanding of situations"

"Yori? You were Yori?"

"Of course! I was there, at the Yamanuchi school, to give you someone to feel close to, to befriend you. And I returned, to spark the seeds of jealousy that would grow into the vines that bind you both. But that's not all!" she stretched and breathed in deeply, filling her lungs. She seemed to fill out, her hair growing shorter and her build completely changing. Her clothes, too, warped and shifted, the Japanese schoolgirl look giving way to a leather jacket. He smiled.

"Hirotaka? You were Hirotaka too? Why?"  
"no reason, to give you something to do while Ron was away, to show you that just because a man looks and acts all that, doesn't mean he is." He chuckled "and, of course, I got to play games of my own with dear sweet Bonnie"

"But, wait, how could you be Yori and Hirotaka at the same time, and at the opposite side of the world?"

"The same way you can walk and chew at the same time. It's all a matter of focus to one such as I. But, I wasn't just those two, oh no. I was the whole damned Yamanuchi School!"

"But, but that's insane! How can you possibly be the whole school?"

"I'll admit, it wasn't easy. I stretched myself a little thin, but it was necessary. There was no great Toshimiru, there is no lotus blade, there is no Monkey Power, there is only I, only…but I digress. It was necessary to perpetuate the charade for a little while only, no longer than a week. It was no big deal really."

"This is just…I can't believe it! I won't believe it! You couldn't be a whole school at once!"

"Every tree, every blade of grass!" He sighed "Watch then" he closed his eyes, and exhaled deeply, infinitely, his breath misting. The mist remained, and grew and spread, as he seemed to diminish and shrink away. Soon the mist filled the cavern, and Hirotaka was gone. The mist hardened and congealed, becoming trees, buildings, people. Soon, the entire Yamanuchi School unfurled before them. All eyes turned on them, and smiled, then faded, dissolving back into mist, mist that gathered towards the centre of the room. Then there was only Him. "Now do you understand?"

"that was sickwrong!"

"Thank you for your input Ron. Very valuable. Now do you want to know who else I've been? There's really only one more, but he's a great one!" H e shifted form again, to a younger form, one their own age. Short dark hair, ruthlessly attractive, wearing a red sweater. He smiled and spoke "Hey Kim, missed me?"

"Eric?"

"Yes Eric! Did you really think that that fool Drakken could have achieved that level of sophistication on his own? Of course not! His 'Eric' was laughable, so I was forced to step in, consume the original and take his place."  
"But why? Why go to all that trouble, if you can really do all this, why bother to go along with Drakken's convoluted plots?"

"Because the aim is not to take over the world. What would be the point? It's mine anyway. No, the aim was to manipulate matters to my most desirable outcome."

"Which was?"

"Why, you and Ron becoming lovers of course"

"What? Why the hell do you care so much?"  
"I have watched you two for years now, growing together, growing apart, in short growing up, but you are not the only ones I have watched. I am able to perceive the paths that destiny leads you, and I saw, ages ago, what your family lines were capable of. I saw how your two families, Possible and Stoppable have, since time immemorial, been inextricably linked, always as allies, often as friends, but never before as lovers. I saw potential, and I am loathe to waste potential, so I ensured that events would lead you two along the paths I had determined. Childs-play, really."

"What are you?"

"I told you, I'm a God"

"Don't give me that! You can't be! How can you be a god? The idea is…it's not possible!"  
"What don't you understand about this? I am all knowing, all powerful. I am in every thing, in the heart of every living thing. I am the thing that drives man! I am the force that motivates every one of you to greater things! Have you ever met someone who is so driven, that, no matter what, they will succeed? No matter who has to get hurt? That is ME! I give them that! They are mine! You would have been mine too, if not for certain mollifying influences, or don't you remember? You should all thank me, everyday, because, honestly, not a single thing would get done without me. And so what if I influence things to go wrong as well, it just makes up the charm, surely."

"That still doesn't explain what the hell you are! Just saying you "are drive" doesn't mean anything! Are you, are you…the Devil?"  
"That amateur! Worthless! You humans! You take all of my best work, and you claim it was the Devil! There is no Devil, there is nothing, save I!" he sighed, and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I guess I was getting a little too dramatic there. Ok, I guess you just want to know my past, yes?"  
She nodded

"My kind are not found here, naturally. I come from another plane of existence, where magic is a matter of fact. My kind were subterranean in nature, mighty craftsmen and mages who rebelled against the light and sought more hospitable climes. Your world's mythology has a word that seems appropriate: _svartalf_: Dark Elf. My mother was a princess of the City of Erehil Cinlu. My father was…not. From birth, I knew I was not like them. They were week, foolish! Obsessed with revenge against those of their kind that had remained on the surface. My mother hated me for my differences, and my refusal to bow to their goddess. Finally, they attempted to make a sacrifice of me to their goddess, and I destroyed them. All of them, every single one. I emerged to see the sun for the first time, and it burned my eyes. In time, I became advisor to a petty human king, then, in time, became king myself. My empire grew, but still I was dissatisfied. Then, one night, I heard a voice, my father, calling me. I stepped into another world, a world of darkness that called my father Lord! I learnt then that my father was not even remotely human, was a Dragon God, a king amongst his kind. He taught me of my heritage, of the power at my disposal, and I loved it! I grasped godhood with both hands and fed upon it. On his dark plane, I crafted five weapons, the tools of my profession, the signs of my office. First I forged, from black metal, a blade of terrifying sharpness. Crafted in a cold forge, it always holds a little of winters edge. Next, a suit of armour, the armour you see upon my frame, to shield my form from unworthy eyes, and to protect the shell so the core may grow strong. Then, I made a whip a cruel, childish thing, to cause grown men to cower in fear, and gods to cry in pain. The penultimate items were these gauntlets, sharp, flexible and housing the power over death that I am known for. Finally, a crown, to show that I am to be king, and that all the worlds shall fall under my dominion. Other items too, did I aquire. From a fallen lord of the Abyss, another sword, the one that Ron knows so well, that wavy bladed kris that eats the soul and could steal a gods strength. It was with this that I made my first move, striking down a minor god of unlife and sickness. We battled long and hard, but, inevitability was on my side. He fell and I consumed his power and ascended. Three more gods fell to my blades, and with each one, I drank a little deeper of omnipotence. I grew to be a force to be feared, to be hated. I grew so powerful that even the gods could not stand against me, united or divided, but it was not enough to be feared. No, I desired supremacy. I challenged the caretaker of the universe, put there to govern by those distant beings that crafted it, that even the gods worship. We fought, long, and hard, but, despite my great power, I lost and was turned to stone, killed, or so they thought. In truth, while my body lay dead, my mind, my personality, lay dormant, waiting for the time to strike, in several powerful artefacts, and, when someone assembled those artefacts, I would once more walk the lands, a terror to behold, magnificent in my splendour. The Wyrmlord, The Godkiller. Drakor!"

"Drakor, is, is that your name?"

He did not answer, so wrapped up in his own tale. "a hundred thousand years I waited, seething. In time, my legend was forgotten, my memory kept alive only by those few who still worshiped at my altars and cared for my prisons, for prisons my artefacts had become. Soon, all that was remembered was the power that they possessed and, as ever, there were those who coveted that power, and sought my items. A blade so sharp that it could cut through time itself, a whip of pain and cruelty, black armour that shields with the power of darkness, gauntlets that whisper with the power of death, and, finally, a helm that grants dominion, a crown that leads one to rule. One is never enough, always goading you on to seek the others. In time, one man rose above all others, and reclaimed all the artefacts, and, once more I was free, shattering his body and devouring his soul. I was free, but I was changed. No longer would I be headstrong and overconfident. Now I would bide my time, regain my power, seek out every edge that may aid me in my conquest. I travelled the plains, seeking out long forgotten secrets, powerful mysteries. I drank deep of the chalice of the Shadows-Heart Serpent, I swam the shores of the Isle of the Consumed. I ate the heart of the Worldbreaker. Many trials did I go through to gain the Four Dragon Runes also, but in time, even these were mine. I became…other. More powerful , but removed totally from what I had been. I had ascended beyond godhood. I had achieved Totality, complete perfection of body, mind and spirit. Still did I travel, seeking out secrets long forgotten even by those who held them. In time, I came to a dismal planet in a far of corner of the known planes. Life had not advanced beyond it's most basic form, that of single celled paramecium. I saw, again, opportunity. I watched and waited, and, finally, acted, causing life to make extraordinary leaps and bounds, introducing new possibilities, new hardships for it to conquer, or die from. I saw the rise of the great saurians, and sent meteors to test their abilities to survive. They failed. I saw the races of the age of ice, the mammoths, the sabre toothed tigers, and again, set to testing them, and, again, I was disappointed. A thousand dominant species arose, some setting up to vast empires, and all failed to survive, all failed my one principle. Then, the first ape-beings began to think for themselves, to climb down from the trees and use tools. In time they became humanity, a race I knew from my own plane of existence. I waited for others to emerge, but no, only humanity emerged, only humanity was able to survive my tests. And that is my story, and the story of all humanity."

"Is that all true though? Is any of what you've told me true?

"As true as anything else. Truth is subjective."

"How do you mean?"

"What is truth? A meaningless term that changes depending on the angle you look at it. I see one thing you see another. Are either of them true? Yes, and no."

"So, if I were to ask you if that is your true form?"

"I would say as true as any. It is the form I wear most, and the one that looks most like I used to. It is not necessarily my real form, but it is an accurate representation of how I think and feel. My real form is so perfect, that you would be struck dead from one glance at its beauty. However, there is another form I can wear, that is closer to my identity, but not so much that by viewing it you are endangered."

"And that is?"

"if you insist, I will show it too you, but be forewarned: even though it is not instantly deadly, it is a form that challenges your puny mortal preconceptions of matter and reality. To view its perfection is to court madness"

"Well, Ron, feel up to it? I won't ask him to show us unless you feel that you can cope."

"Sure Kim, no prob. Who doesn't like to look at sanity-blasting horror once in a while?"

"How touching. How sweet. How perfectly predictable. Very well, but remember, this you brought on your own heads." Drakor closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, seeming to expand as he did so, growing vast before their eyes. His posture shifted also, becoming more bestial. His arms and legs seemed to grow overlong, and his armour and gauntlets merged with his expanding flesh. He stretched his neck, growing longer and spined. He roared as his skull elongated, losing all vestiges of humanoid feature. The horns and spines on his face grew longer, sharper. He shook his head, his hair loosing its flexibility and colour, becoming a mane of black horns. He arched his back, and two bony nubs began to jut out at his shoulders. He flexed his muscles, and the nubs shot out with a wet, sickening, sound to a length of 200ft. They contracted, and seemed to split down the middle, opening wide to reveal a leathery membrane that spread all the way down to the body. Drakor chuckled and beat his wings twice, knocking both Ron and Kim over with the force of it. He roared again as his tailbone elongated, bursting from his body. Muscle and skin began to emerge on the extended spinal column, and he twirled it for both dramatic effect and to work the ache out of the muscles. In a matter of seconds, that felt like an age, where The Prince once stood was a dragon. Colossal, covered in thick black scales. Upon its head, the crown still stood, but now, seemed almost a part of its body. It looked down at them through eyes older than empires, and spoke in a voice that seemed to travel thorough the spine itself, deep, rich and primal.

"Behold, and know that your gods lied to you. Behold, and know that your kind are worthless, behold perfection."

Kim looked into the Dragon's ancient eyes, and felt herself slipping away. She beheld its perfection and found her own beauty wanting. She could hear her own voice in her head, pointing out her imperfections, both real and perceived. She shuddered as she shouted abuse in her own head, ridiculing her tiny breasts, her fat hips, her stupid red hair. She looked into the deep pools of the Dragon's eyes, and saw herself reflected as he perceived her, and dropped to her knees, sobbing and hiding her face. In an instant, Ron was at her side, caressing her hand.

"Kim, what's wrong? Please, tell me darling!" he gasped as she pulled away, and, between sobs, replied

"Oh Ron, why are you with me? look at me; I'm hideous!"

"What? How can you say that? You're the most beautiful person I've ever known, ever will know. Your perfect, no matter what this freak thinks." He looked at Drakor, eyes filled with his rage "What did you…?" he began, and stopped, as he found himself beneath the gaze of the Great Dragon. He looked upon perfection, and he too found his own voice answering him, ridiculing his form and mannerisms. He shook his head, and they faded, and he returned to glowering at The Prince.

"You resisted? Unheard of! I knew I had chosen right!"  
"What. Did. You. Do. To. Her!" Ron replied through gritted teeth.

"Nothing, she did it all to herself. I merely opened her mind up to the fact that she is not perfect, that nothing is perfect, save I. she's doing the rest herself, picking herself apart piece by piece, until there is nothing left. You see, despite what they may say, most people believe that they are perfect, or as close to it as possible. It is a lot for the mind to take, when it finally realises that it is nothing, compared to the true majesty. She will become more and more withdrawn, lost in her own self destruction. She will, in a week, maybe two. Make the first attempt on her life. It will most likely fail, but will the second? Will the third? How about the fifty seventh? It won't stop, and there is nothing you can do to stop it. Thousands have died, killed by their own hand, like this. It is the fate of those in my way. And yet, after all this time, you alone have survived, have beaten it. Why?"  
"because I know I'm not perfect, because I know that I make a lot of mistakes and that it's only because of Kim's intervention that I'm not dead already. But while I'm not perfect, I know that I have some worth, because Kim loves me, and that's enough for me."

"Fascinating."

"Now, please, help her. I know you can. You've made it pretty clear that you are able to do anything you want., and that this is just another sick little game to you, so, please, just end it, ok?"  
"As you wish, but beware. She may not be the Kim you know anymore." He waved a hand. Kim's breathing seemed to grow more regular instantly, and the sobbing subsided. Ron, helped her to her feet, and she clung to his arm, as if afraid to let him go. The Dagon shuddered, and assumed his more familiar form.

"That, that, was not nice." She shuddered "Is that how you see me, really? Just unclean meat?"

"Not specifically you, no. that is how I see all who are not transformed, not ascended beyond mortal beginnings. You and Ron, I see differently. I see great potential, and, most importantly, opposition. Of all the beings on this fetid little plane, you two offer me resistance. That is why I have chosen you, embraced you into the beginnings of The Mysteries."

"Chosen us? Embraced? Mysteries? What are you talking about?

"That first face to face meeting? I laid my mark upon you both, chose you as my opposition, to ensure that my plans are not too easily achieved. 'Women receive the secret kiss, and men the blade that bites' that is part one of The Ebon Mysteries of The Transfigured One. Mystery Cults are so much fun, don't you think? Anyway, welcome to the first circle, the Circle of Awakening. You are the first in a long time to make it."

Still not getting this. You mean to say that you want us to be you r enemies, your foes, so you made us part of your church? How does that make any sense?"  
" It's really not that confusing, once you accept that I am Prince of Betrayal. I expect6 you to betray me, and fight me all the way. Of course, you could just let me storm this world, but I doubt that you'll be willing to let that happen. And your going to have to do it all yourself, won't that be fun?"

"You know, we have friends in the military. What do you think they'll do when they find out?"

"Oh, that's easy, they'll die by the thousands. I outnumber them 1,000,000 to 1. have you ever been to war, Kimberly? Ever seen a killing field, smelt the blood of a thousand men and women pouring from open wounds? Heard them scream in pain as their life ebbs way. It is beautiful, but oh so brief." His eyes now were filled with the love of war and death.

"I don't know, I think that your selling our military short there. If push comes to shove, they could take you down."  
"You think so, well, lets see shall we?"

he seemed to fade from view then, and the darkness enveloped him. Within seconds the door burst open and a thousand men, heavily armed and wearing American Military uniforms rushed through. Kim and Ron Looked around in surprise, and held each other close. The soldiers seemed to be searching the room, looking for the Prince. In time, they began to relax, and rest. This was their mistake, for the darkness behind one of the soldiers, a hand emerged, grasping him by the jawbone. The Prince followed soon after, a smile on his lips. He lifted the cowering soldier to his face, and looked in his eyes with disgust. Passionlessly he pushed him against the ground, pummelling him with the hard floor over and over. In time, the floor became stained with blood and grey matter. The prince then casually cast the corpse aside and strode towards the nearest group of soldiers, who, having seen their comrade die, opened fire on him in an enormous volley of armour piercing bullets. They had no effect, merely bouncing of his armour, or even, where visible, his bare flesh. He lashed out with one hand, slicing through a soldier as if he was made of butter. He held his other hand before him, and a wave of force seemed to grasp one individual, sending him hurtling against another group with a sickening crunch as his bones turned to powder from the impact. He gazed around the room, noted Kim and Ron's shocked expressions and smiled, then allowed his eyes to fall on another soldier. Immediately the soldier slumped to the ground, dead.. the Prince floated into the air, and called down to the panicking hordes, trying to leave but unable as the doorway dissipated.

"Behold, fools, that which you seek to destroy. Behold the true glory of the black hole, the wonder of the dying stars, the beauty of the last gasp." His form seemed to bleed darkness into the world, to glow with black energy. Kim and Ron looked away instinctively, knowing that to look upon the prince is to invite disaster. The soldiers were not so lucky. Two hundred fell to the ground screaming as their eyes bled, destroyed by that which they beheld. The Prince hurled bolts of darkness, seemingly at random, each one a black and terrible death to those it touched. He breathed deeply, and exhaled a cone of blue-black vapour. Those it touched becoming literally frozen to death. In a matter of minutes, there were no soldiers left. Drakor laughed, and burst through to the surface, and the waiting reinforcements above. They fared little better, as he continued his march of destruction. Eventually, having wiped out Middleton. Upperton, Lowerton and any other city that interrupted his path, the call went out, and a nuclear warhead was launched. Drakor just laughed as he say it heading his way, twenty miles from his destination, and reached out a hand. The missile began to change trajectory, returning back the way it came.

"Fools!" he roared. "I grant you the split atom, the nuclear isotope, and you use it so inefficiently? I give you such power, and you use it for fuel, and weapons you rarely ever use? Suffer for your folly!"

He turned and looked towards the still shocked form of Kim and Ron and smiled, and waved a hand. They were back in his lair, as if nothing had happened, the bodies gone.

"I think, perhaps, involving the military would be a mistake."

"What just happened?"

"I pulled you and Ron both into an alternate reality, momentarily, to show you what would happen if you did something so foolish as involve the military."

"I…I heard them dying. I felt their blood splatter against me."

"Of course. You were there, they died. Why would you not feel it? Why would you not see it, smell it, taste it? Congratulations, you saw your first battle. You stood there and watched as others died around you. How did it feel?"

"Horrible!"

"Really? Hmm. I find it oddly comforting, the grim dance, the oddly beautiful inevitability of their deaths. Maybe I am the only one."

"I think so. You and serial killers."

"Perhaps. There is beauty in battle, there is perfection in the edge of a sword. Who does not seek perfection? even I, the Perfect One, seeks perfection in others. And always, I am disappointed. No one even worthy of perfection." He sighed. "Maybe, in time, I will find someone worthy of that gift."

"you mean in all the years that you've been on this earth, you've never found a single person who met you standards?"  
"Exactly. All are judged and found wanting."

"Maybe that means that your standards are too high, did you ever think of that?"

"Hmm, an interesting viewpoint, but not exactly an original one. I considered it long ago, when I caused Vesuvius to erupt, and destroyed Pompei only 200 or so years after I sent them an earthquake. I decided then, as I decide still, that I was correct in my approach. If no-one passes my tests, then that simply indicates that there are no individual beings that come close to my predetermined levels of perfection for your kind yet, and so I must make life a little harder, a little less bearable for the rest of you."

"What? Why?"

"Because out of hardship comes perfection. Out of horror unimaginable, comes ascension beyond the current form, to something greater."

"So, you put people through all of this, all this pain and hardship, so that you can make them something else? That's insane!"  
"Who are you to tell me what is insane? I am not even remotely human, not even remotely mortal! I have already transcended beyond mere divinity! I cannot be judged by your petty standards! How dare you intrude!"

"But that's what **you're** doing!"

"Yes but I'm allowed! I made them, I set the standards! How dare you even think otherwise, you insignificant worm!" the earth beneath their feet began to shake violently at his rage, and black flames erupted from his form. "Pointless little mortal, why do you even bother to stand against me?" he roared.

"I…I'm sorry. I shouldn't have questioned you."

"Kim?"  
Drakor ceased to rage, and the ground ceased to shake. The flames of his wrath died down. "Oh dear. I feared that this would happen, after viewing perfection. She has lost her spark, her drive to succeed. A pity. Now she is no good to me."

"Kim, come on. You can fight this. You know that this guy's just full of himself. You can't just give up"

"I…I'm sorry Ron, I've got nothing left. He's right. I saw something…terrible behind those eyes, worse than just the knowledge that he is perfect and I am not. I saw exactly how little he thought of me, of all of us, and what he would do to any who stood in his way. I saw, we both saw, what he did to those soldiers. How can we stand against that?"

"I can't believe I'm hearing this! Kim, come on, I know that this guys probably the biggest threat we've faced, but we still have to try. We can't just let him win. Think of everyone else, please?"  
"I... I can't. I'm sorry. I don't have it in me to fight anymore." She collapsed to her knees and sobbed. He placed an arm around her shoulder and cradled her head against his shoulder. He kissed her forehead as she wrapped her hands around his neck and wept, and stroked her hair to soothe her.

"It's ok, Kimmie, it's ok. I'm sorry. I haven't been pulling my weight, and you've over-exerted yourself. Just stay here, ok, and breath. I'll manage ok on my own, I'll think of something." He kissed her head once more, and stood up to face The Prince.

"Admirable, but unacceptable. I cannot be expected to merely face you, as I would not have faced just her. What would be the point in that? I need you both at peak condition to offer opposition. That is the plan, and I will accept no deviation."

"What are you talking about? What plan?"

"Why else do you think I went to the trouble of testing you all these years, more so than any other beings on this frightful little plane? Simple; I require opposition. I need resistance, or else all is without worth. What is the point in sinister plots and insidious cults, if there is no-one to stand against you? Why not merely conquer? Because it is dull. I have stormed across a thousand worlds, have killed a thousand suns, and I tire of it. So, I thought to myself, why not make things harder, why not restrict your own movements, your own actions, work through disaster instead of overtly, set a world to destroy itself. And it was easy! I thought that you people would resist, but you aid me in your own self destruction. You use my gifts heedlessly, you squander your own resources, and all the will, you say that it is your God's Will, or that the world will recover or one more couldn't hurt. Do you actually realise that of all the people on this earth, only you two resist me with your heart? That of all the sentients on this plane, only you, Ron Stoppable, and You, Kim Possible, actively oppose me? It is sickening really. I go to all this trouble, and all in vain." He spat on the ground, where his spittle bubbled and hissed. "Still, some opposition is better than none, and so the tests began. You were both doing so well, but perhaps I have pushed you too hard, perhaps you are not the person I thought you were. Perhaps I should have just conquered this plane."

"NO!" Kim stood up, shaking with rage and frustration. She faltered, but pulled herself up, and stood with her head high. "No. I will not stand idly by as you destroy the people, the world that I love! You want opposition? Fine, you got it! I'll make you wish that you'd never been born! You think that you've seen me determined before? No way! Uh-uh! I've never been more driven to take someone down before! You think you can just manipulate me and get away with it? You think that I'll just let you take away everything I care about? No! you here me? NO!"

"Yes! That's it! Fight! Find the fire in your heart! Embrace the rage that you feel against me! Break the pall of depression! Survive!"

Kim screamed with rage, and leapt at Drakor, who dodged her initial assault with ease, and countered with a flick of his wrist that sent her sprawling to the ground. She leapt to her feet and pounced, snarling at The Prince, bringing her hands down in a vicious hamer blow to his head. He merely waved a hand above his head, and grasped both hands tightly, bringing her, struggling, to his side. He smiled and licked his lips.

"And what will you do now, oh warrior? What would you do, now that I have outwitted and overpowered you?" He snorted. "Will you give up, and run crying to your homestead? Will you accept that the place of all your kind is beneath my heel?"

"Never!" she kicked out at him, pushing off from his chest so that her hands were wrenched free. She landed in a crouch on the ground, and tensed for the inevitable counter attack.

"Excellent!" Drakor leapt high into the air, landing lightly next to her. "You seem to be recovering well, and much faster than I anticipated." He lashed out with an open handed backhand slash, catching her off guard. She spun to the ground, blood stinging her eyes.

"Hey, Prince, think fast!" yelled Ron as he hurled a large chunk of stone at Drakor's head. Without looking round, The Prince smiled and made a small circle with his fingertip. Five feet from his head, a small hole in reality appeared, absorbing the rock and disappearing, like a yawn in time and space.

"Ron, Ron, Ron! The distraction will not work on someone with infinite focus! Try something different!" the whole reappeared, this time behind Ron's head, opening just long enough to eject the still speeding rock, directly into the base of his cranium. He blinked twice, crossed his eyes and collapsed in a heap, a concussive smile passing over his lips.

"Ron!" shouted Kim over the Prince's raucous laughter, and attempted to run to his side, but was buffeted back by powerful winds that whirled around her. The Prince stood unconcerned, untouched by the impossible subterranean gale.

"Foolish child! Where do you think you are going? To your lovers side? Not without my leave!"

"I…Don't…Care!" shouted Kim through the chill winds, as she pushed her way towards Ron. The winds redoubled, toppling her to her feet. The Prince calmly strode towards her and raised her to her feet. His cape billowed gently, the only sign about him that the winds howled. He smiled softly.

"He'll be fine, believe me. It'll take a lot more than that to do any lasting damage to him. It may even give him a valuable lesson. Anyway, it gives us an opportunity to talk."

"Yeah, about what?" she spat, rubbing the bruise on her arm from her fall.

"Nothing much. Just wanted to see if you understood all that has occurred really"

"I think I understand what you're doing, but I still gotta ask: Why? Why are you doing all of this? Is it just out of boredom, or is it something more?"  
"Hmm, well, it is certainly true that I bore easily, but when you are one such as I, it is easy to be bored. I am aware of every secret, every goal, every dream of every single living thing in the world, and I can manipulate it all. I have seen things which would leave any other being mad or blind. I am intelligent, by far the most intelligent being this universe has ever seen, I have mastered magic, and the technologies of the flesh. I alone could survive if this earth you so love finally, truly, betrayed you to the lightless void. I survive, and so I seek to grant that gift to others. Is that so wrong?"  
"Wait, do you mean to say that you do all of this for purely altruistic reasons? Because you believe that, by exposing us all to your 'tests' we will survive this world better?"

"It is certainly true that you people will deal with disasters better if you faced them before, and that my tests have made you, to some extent, hardier, but no, that's not why I do this."  
"Then why?"

"Because I can. Because, alone of all the things in this world, I am real. Because my concerns are the only ones that matter. Because it entertains me to do so."

"But that's insane! How can you be the only real thing in the universe. What does that make us? Illusions? Dreams?"  
"Something like that, self aware, but, ultimately hollow. How else do you explain the amount of influence I have? Even as a god, I should not be able to do the things I do so easily. Obviously, I am more real, and am therefore able to express that reality better."  
"That's just…wrong!"  
"Prove me wrong! Prove that you too can influence matters, can offer opposition to me. Prove that your kind are not merely sheep, to be herded at leisure. Prove that humanity has some worth! You have seen that I am mostly unopposed, that on the whole, your kind merely accepts my whims as if it was their own."  
"But, if I do that, if I continue to oppose you, won't I be doing what you want anyway?"

"Fair enough. You make a good point. Ok, go on, go about your life, pretending that I do not exist, that all of the problems that the world faces are none of your fault. I mean, it's not like someone else won't step in and take charge, right?"  
"Well…"

"It's like with life right now. It doesn't really matter if you don't stop Draken and his evil schemes. Someone else will surely handle it"  
"Alright! Alright, you've made you're point. I get it. I'll fight you."

"Excellent. For my part, I promise to never attempt to destroy the world personally, or to intrude physically, only to work through intermediaries and disaster. There, how does that sound to you?"  
"Oh, just super. Thanks" She rolled her eyes. "I have a question though; Do you actually believe that you're the only real thing in existence?"  
"Sort of. I know that there are real things out there, beyond the borders of this dimension, as I have seen them, and killed them, and felt them. But, I am not so real as I previously claimed."  
"How do you mean?"  
"Well, I am MORE real than anything else here, but I am merely an intrusion onto your dimension of a greater being: me. I am just an expression of myself, a facet if you will, rendered into something approaching flesh. If I were to fully manifest on this realm, well, all of reality would unravel. The world is not meant to cope with perfection. I found this out long ago, on a distant plane that no longer exists. My true form, my pure essence dwells beyond the Grey Borders, on the Plane of Night and Darkness, extending fragments throughout all the planes. Few have seen my true form, and fewer still have survived the experience."

"Yeah, you mentioned that. I'm still not sure whether to believe you though. It sounds so…absurd. How can your 'true form' be so perfect. If it was perfect, surely it wouldn't be fatal, right?"  
"Ah, to be human with you're puny understandings of the natural order, and the shape of things. I see that the only way I will make you understand is to show you for yourself." Behind him, The Prince could hear Ron groaning as he came to his senses and began to rise. He smiled, and raised an eyebrow at Kim. "What do you think? Are you strong enough to view perfection?"

"N…Now wait a minute. You said it would kill me didn't you?"

"Oh, I already know how to deal with that aspect of human frailty. It's very simple."

"Oh…alright, let me go tell Ron"  
"No. no time, and it'll just be you at any rate." Without warning, he struck her in the chest with an open hand, crackling with black and red energy. Without a sound, she flew across the room to land, open eyed and breathless at Ron's still shaking feet.

"After all, it can't kill you if your already dead!" The Prince laughed and faded from view as Ron howled with anguish.


	5. Chapter 5

Kim inhaled sharply at the blow, but felt nothing. She looked down at where he had struck her, but there was no blood, no mark. Her eyes seemed a little cloudy, but other than that, she felt fine. She started at Ron's Howl, and ran to his side, placing a hand on his sobbing shoulder. She couldn't feel him.

"Ron! Ron! What's wrong? Ron! Ron?" He wouldn't respond, his focus drawn to the heap he now cradled in his hands. With a gasp, Kim realised that the heap was her.

"What's…what's going on?" she asked the room in general.

"Nothing much. You're dead. So, are you ready to go or what?" said The Prince behind her

"Dead? But, but I didn't feel anything. What did you do?"

"I separated you're 'soul' from you're body. It really was the simplest thing to do, in the circumstances. I doubt that you're physical form could have coped with the journey anyway, and the chances of you dying now from glancing at the unknowable is severely reduced."

"But, but I'm dead! You…you…what am I going to do now?"

"Nothing much. Come with me, see unspeakable things, come back, go on with you're life."

"You mean this is only temporary?"

"Of course! You didn't think… well, what would be the point in that?"

"But we gotta tell Ron!"  
"No! You thought he died, and now he thinks you're dead. I want to gauge his reaction. I want to see if he's going to go to pieces like you did"  
"OK, first of all, no I didn't! second, look at him! I've never seen him this bad."  
"Yes, but wait, it gets better!"  
Ron's howl turned into a roar as he leapt to his feet. "Where are you , you coward! Do you think we're just toys that you can break without worrying about the consequences? Face me!" he roared again, and collapsed next to his lovers body. The floor beneath them began to grow liquid, and enveloped them both, then settled back into solidity.

"where have you sent him? What have you done to him?"  
"Oh, there'll be time enough to explain all that later, come, come, we must depart."

The world around them began to seep into grey and then darken to black. Kim looked around. She was alone in the void of space.

Ron shook his head, shaking of the tail end of unconsciousness, just in time to see The Prince strike his partner, and watch her body hurtle across the room to rest, crackling with strange energies. His breath stopped in his throat, and he collapsed beside her. No pulse. No breath. She was dead. The rest was a blur of grief and pain and anger. All he remembered was the feeling of cold as the liquid floor drank them in. Darkness swam across his eyes, and the next thing he felt was the rain fall on his head, and the mud begin to soak into his clothes. He stared into the storming sky, and let the cold precipitation wash his face. He sighed deeply, and lifted the still form of his lover into his arms. He had a duty to perform, one he hoped never to have to do. He began to walk, stumblingly, almost falling in the wet, slippery mud, but stopped himself. No. she would not touch the ground. Angels do not touch the base clay. He looked into her face, into her still staring eyes. So perfect, so green. He raised two fingers and closed them, unable to cope with the accusations he saw therein. Tears fell down his cheeks, and he hung his head in pain and shame. He had failed her.

The Doctors Possible sat in their drawing room, he with a pipe and newspaper, she doing a crossword puzzle at the small table. She looked out the window, and clucked her tongue. "Oh dear, look at that rain. The kids will get soaked. I hope that they're mission is somewhere indoors."

"Hmm. I'm sure that they'll be fine. Kim's smart, she'll have taken precautions."

"I hope so. I really hope so." Said her mother, a worried look on her face. "But they're both so young, and impulsive, and who knows what might have happened." She sighed.

"It's not that bad surely! So they'll get a little cold, maybe the 'flu."

"Hmm? Oh, yes, the rain!" she laughed a little awkwardly. "Sorry, my mind was elsewhere."

"Well, what were you thinking about, hmm?"

"Oh, nothing, nothing, doesn't matter" she blushed a little, and started at the sound of the doorbell. "Maybe that's them now" she got up, to answer the door, relieved that the conversation could be cut short. She opened the door and gasped. Ron looked into her eyes, tears streaming down his face and his lower lip began to tremble. Kim lay limp and open eyed in his arms.

"Hello?" shouted Kim. "Drakor, where are you? I, uh, I don't know what to do here…on my own." She sighed, and look around in the void. She noticed a small speck that seemed to be growing larger in the distance. No. Not larger. Closer. Soon, it had become clear what it is. The Earth hung before her, blue and green and brown, spinning in space. A strange mist whirled around it, becoming solid. A large, black serpent emerged, coiling around the earth, it's head poised ready to strike. It's cobra like hood spread wide. Kim gasped. From the void she could hear the sound of a multitude weeping and wailing. The volume increased in intensity, until it was deafening. The Earth, serpent in tow, faded from view, replaced with people, stretching out as far as the eye can see, in all directions. Young, old, fat, thin, black, white. All people were represented. They turned and faced her and smiled. Their eyes were hollow and black, like The Prince's. They opened their mouths and spoke, as one.

"Greetings, Kimberley Anne Possible, welcome here, to the last shell protecting the world from The Perfected. There is no going back now, you understand. This is merely a stylized representation of my form, or, rather, what I represent. The serpent was the threat I represent to all living things, this form represents the small part of me that lies in the heart of every living thing, that drives you all on to great and terrible things. There is only one step left, and that's viewing the true form. Just giving you a heads up."

"Where, where am I?"

"Beyond the Grey Borders, Past Lord Scaithes Domain, Through the Gates of Searing Sorrow, at the Dawn of the Dark Sun"  
"Uh-huh. And that's supposed to mean something?"

"Not really, but if you were learned in such matters you'd be in a foetal position by now. So much of this is lost on you I guess. Tell me, what is it like to see things in only three dimensions? Don't you find it drab?"

"No…why, how many do you see in?"  
"Countless, my dear, countless! I can see every event unfolding in time and space as if it were occurring before me. it is really most wonderful, you must try it. Anyway, I suppose it's time to part the final veil. Don't say I didn't warn you!" the figures' mouths opened then, wider than humanly possible and darkness began to pour from them. Soon a black fog had enveloped her. She opened her mouth to scream, but no noise would come. She was completely absorbed by the hungry night.

Ron…? Omigod! Kim! Kim, please, answer me! Ron, What happened?"  
"We…we had to go stop him. Kim said so, we had to, but he. He was too powerful. He toyed with us, told us that we should thank him for everything, that he was a god! And, so help me, I think he is, but a god of death. He made Kim depressed, made her want to kill herself, then took it all away as if it was nothing. Then, when she attacked, he knocked her around like she was a ragdoll. He knocked me out, made the rock I threw at him strike me. I don't know what happened in the moments I was out, but I woke up to see him strike her on the chest. She was hurled across the room to land at my feet. There was no pulse, no breath. It should have been me!" he broke down, sobbing again. Kims mother turned away, unable to look at her daughters lifeless body, the colour drained from her face in shock. Her husband came to her side, tears streaming down his face, to comfort her, but she brushed him off. She did not want to be touched now. She slowly began to sob, the terrible keening of the heartbroken mother. Ron collapsed even further into his despair, tears stinging his eyes red. Amidst the sounds of weeping, a scream forced them all to their senses, to take note. A loud shrill constant wail that came from the room they were in. Ron noticed it first, his proximity to it's source being a deciding factor. He looked up, bleary eyed, and saw Kim, hands clenched into fists. Her eyes had snapped open, and she screamed loudly to the heavens.

"Kim! You, your alive! She's alive!"

She fell silent again, soon enough, with no sign that anything had passed her lips. A quick scan for cerebral activity soon confirmed that, though there was no external sign of life, and, indeed no life signs at all, there was still something inside that could be called alive, there was still life in Kim Possible. Their sense of relief was marred only by one of fear and foreboding.

Kim opened her eyes, and thought that maybe she hadn't. She soon realised, however, that the darkness was outside her head. Well, at least there was ground beneath her feet this time. She stood up, and waited, hoping that her eyes would soon adjust. In time they did, and she saw black walls of dark stone, and on the floors, shimmering gold pieces. She walked forward, towards the sounds of chanting. The sounds grew louder and became more distinct.

"Praise to thee, Dark One, Praise to thee, oh Bringer of War. Grant us your gifts of ambition, grant us your power, grant us your magic. Take from us our mortal frailty, oh Transfigurant Master, and give us your glory!"

"she walked onwards. Soon, she came upon the chanters, beings of great and terrible visage, all with eyes bound tight, so as to reveal nothing of the outside world. They crowded around what, at first sight, seemed to be a vast empty throne. Above the throne an indistinct black shape hovered. She squinted, peering closer. She could make out two pairs of vest black wings, spread out into the distance. One pair like a birds, an angels feathers cast in black, the other, distinctly draconic. She edged closer to see more clearly, driven by some unknown urge. She could see clearer now, the strange, familiar black armour, the terrible spiked gauntlets folded across the figures chest. Something was different, however. Where once skin could be glimpsed where the armour did not join, now a strange black light poured forth, concealing what light should reveal, like a gold ring painted with thick black oil. She looked up, towards it's face, and gasped. The features were those of Drakor, but it's angles were sharper, more clear. The skim was darker, and Kim was terrified to realise that it was not really skin anymore, no longer flesh, but rather, the absence of flesh, the loss of the material. She realised that she beheld, here, before her, the animate void. At his brow twin horns, antlers, grew, and his hair, once pale white, was now black and floated as if buffeted by unfelt winds. His crown towered now, with many terrible, sharp peaks. From his eyes, black on a black background, burning dark light poured, and as he looked down on his worshipers, and smiled, it poured from his mouth also. One of the chanters seemed to shake, and, screaming that he must look now upon perfection, he ripped off his bandages, gazing upon the dark form of The Prince. Eyes wide with rapture and wonder, he fell to his knees and, as his eyes bled, died with a look of joy on his face. Drakor's eyes fell upon Kim, and he smiled again.

"Who are you, child, that you come here with eyes unsheathed to look upon the only truth in the universe?"

"Uh, Kim Possible, remember? You brought me here, didn't you?"  
"Hmm, mayhaps I did, little human, hold, I shall inquire" he seemed to look into the distance for a moment, then nodded and smiled "ah yes, I remember now, that little backwards earth. You serve me by not serving. So, was the trip everything you thought it would be? You have made a journey few have survived and fewer still have returned from."

"It was…weird. So is this the Plane of Darkness?"

"Not quite. This is my realm, Malisnuth, the Plane of Transcendence, which borders the Plane of Night and my material realm, Arkadee. In fact, it borders all things, but it is mostly through those two that I receive visitors such as yourself. It is from here that most of my influence spreads, from here that change is permitted to spread throughout the universe. Here, I am supreme, even more so than ususal." He chuckled a little, and reached down, plucking Kim up between two fingers. She struggled ineffectually, until she was brought to eye height and saw, in the pits of his eyes, the death of a thousand stars, the fall of a thousand empires, the decay of a thousand worlds and the promise of corruption. She saw her life played out from odd angles, saw all she new to be true and real fall away into dust. In the eyes of perfection, she saw her soul laid bare, her life's work exposed as empty and hollow. She shivered and looked away, unwilling to be drawn into the dark pit that his eyes lay as guards to, the deep, black crevice of her own insecurity. She pushed against his finger with her hands, and screamed in pain as her fingers slipped beneath the gauntlets, to touch his perfect form. She pulled her hand away, looking down on it to see her fingers blanched from cold and contracting in pain. He laughed at her confusion.

"Ah, I see that you have trouble comprehending. This is not unanticipated. Allow me to explain. My true form is composed of limitless possibilities, and the essence of three concepts, opposed to each other. One: I represent the forces of creation at their peak, the power to create from the aether new and wondrous things. Two: I am change at it's most perfect, evolution to new and greater forms. I bring greater awareness of the universe, and your place in it, while granting greater understanding of yourself. Three: I am destruction and death, the ending. I cut the bonds that tie you to this life, and allow you to go on to the next. I reap from the living their memories, their ambition, their hopes and leave hollow husks in place. I separate the body into it's component particles and scatter them to the four winds. All these things I encompass, ad all these things are ever active within me. Unfortunately, the universe itself finds it less than comforting, and rails against me, and, in my presence, Quails and warps, eventually breaking apart and giving way to nothingness. While this may seem a desirable, at it's core, it is a disappointment, for, without the aether, without primal chaos, creation is in truth impossible, and without further creation, there is no hope for change or destruction. It is stagnant, dreary. . So, to maintain some semblance of reality, I close myself off from reality slightly, hold myself apart beyond great borders, that are here represented by the thin black membrane on my form. If I were, say, to allow this barrier to separate, all of reality would be absorbed into the void in a matter of days. Slowly at first, but in the final hours time itself would unravel. By touching me, you felt beneath, to the burning cold of the void. It is a sensation that will live with you forever." He placed her down, gently, and ascended once more to hover above the throne, regarding her. He nodded, satisfied. "Yes, I can see why I chose you. I must say that I have exquisite taste"  
"What the hell do you mean by that? Don't you even remember 'choosing' me?"  
"A side effect of my form is that interaction is extremely limited. I'm forced to operate through aspects of my personality, intrusions into your crude little world of my incredible will and intellect. While they are certainly all me, and I have access to all that they have learnt and know, it occasionally takes me a while to find the particular aspect that I'm referencing at any one time. It can be a little distracting, omniscience."

She looked at the worshipers. Several more had joined their fellow in removing their blindfolds and gazing at their God, and, as before, had died with red tears in their eyes and a smile on their face. "Why do they do it? Don't they know that they'll die?"

"Of course, but that doesn't stop them. You see, once something is forbidden, it becomes more desirable. Also, I planted a suggestion in each of them that makes looking at my form the most important thing in the world to them, even though they know I have forbidden it, and that it will destroy them."  
"That's…monstrous!"  
"Perhaps, but it is also the first step on the paths of ascension. Self denial, and survival at all costs, even at the expense of your hearts desire. Those that die do not deserve to live, to serve the Empty Throne. Those that survive are well on their way to evolution of form to something other. I could just as easily reach down and reshape them to my whims, but where would be the fun in that?"  
"I still think it's wrong. I don't care if the eventual outcome is to their benefit. The ends do not justify the means"

"Foolish child, to chide a God on moral grounds! The ends Do justify the means, and sometimes the means themselves are enough of a reason to do something. Sometimes, the act of doing is enough and the task does not matter. Sometimes, your journey leads you back to your house, other times to vast and ancient empires. You do not know until you take that first step." He leaned down to her, and smiled. "And now, I think, perhaps your journey takes you home. You have much to think on, and, I feel, it is time to return". He stopped, frowned, and looked over his shoulder. He sighed, and turned away. "One moment, it appears I have matters to attend to." A strange crackling sound became apparent, and four distorted circles appeared on a nearby ridge. Out of these crackling gates poured what seemed, from this distance, like a thousand vast black ants. As they edged closer, it became clear that, whatever they were, they were humanoid, and bore a striking similarity to the prince himself, that these were the "svartalf" he spoke of. All wore blindfolds. They arrayed themselves along the ridge, bows drawn. One stood up, and, with a loud clear voice, spoke:  
"For the glory and honour of the Spider Queen, destroy the traitor! Death to he who sullies her name and reputation! Death to the False God!" at his command, a volley of arrows fell upon The Prince and his servants. Those that fell on Drakor shattered or were absorbed into the void, while those that fell on his worshipers struck true, killing them by tens and hundreds. Drakor sighed, and raised a hand towards the archers. His wings beat once, twice, three times, and a bolts of black lightning danced upon his form. He clenched his fist, and brought it down violently. The sounds of wailing and tears could be heard, and a vast terrible black mist descended upon them, whirling and twisting. It soon dissipated, and the archers were left, drained, aged, dead. Drakor reached down, plucking the leader, their commander who had stood outside of the mists influence, lifting him high. A stream of epithets, accusations as to Drakor's parentage and character, followed.

"Silence mortal!" and he pressed his vast thumb against the creatures mouth and rubbed. The creature screamed no-more, its mouth erased as if he were naught but soft, malleable clay. He continued to work at it's flesh, shaping, breaking, reforming.

"So, servant of the spider goddess, you would oppose me? Why? When I can give you such gifts!" He laughed, raucously, violently, all the while reforming the hapless mortal. He split its arms at the elbow, so that each arm ended in three. He reshaped its legs and spine, giving it a more bestial stance. He remade its skull, elongating it, giving it sharp teeth and mandibles, giving it eight eyes. Finally he was done, and placed his new monstrosity to the ground, where it lay twitching in shock. The prince turned his attention then to the corpses of his attackers, scooping them up in one enormous hand. He spat into his palm, clenched his other hand over the top and pressed down, hard. A sickening, wet, cunching sound could be heard. Kim looked away, unable to stomach anymore, and, for once, glad that she was currently dead, and couldn't empty her stomach. She finally mustered the courage to look back, and saw, to her disgust, the fruits of The Princes work; a wet, slimy mass of flesh and bone in the shape of a grotesque eye, it's surface composed entirely of faces, mouth still open in pain. She looked up into the face of The Prince, and noted his lips were moving, that, eyes closed and hands in a complex series of bizarre gestures. He held one hand over the mass, and a blast of darkness pulsed into the form. The mouths began to scream, their eyes wide in pain as eight bone shards, dripping with blood and meat erupted from it's base, sickening parodies of a spiders legs.. Drakor smiled, and drew a clawed a hand in the air, tearing a hole in reality. He plucked both the warped forms and hurled them through the void, with a cry of "Best wishes to your Spider Queen!" and chuckled, closing the portal behind tem, and turned back to Kim.

"Now, where was I? Oh yes, human child, you must return now. You have loved ones who wait for you, and the Realms beyond the Grey Borders are not for one such as you. Go now, little one, with my blessings upon you." He reached down, taking her up in one hand, and breathed on her, gently, bathing her in black light. She felt herself slipping away, and the darkness once more enveloping her.


	6. Chapter 6

She opened her eyes, once more, in the grey lightless lands, but this time, not alone.

"So, did you enjoy your trip?" She turned round to face The Prince once more, once again in a form more suitable for human eyes. He smiled at her confusion. "Yes, we can be a little aloof in that form, a little less capable of human interaction. But, tell me, what did we say to you? Any messages for us, here, trapped in this physical realm?"  
"There were these things, they kinda looked like you, and, and they fired on…you? And then you killed them all and, and…"she trailed off, remembering the screams of the dark elven captain as his flesh was moulded and shaped by a cruel, cruel god. "You're a monster. You…you did horrible things to them, to their bodies. Why! I can still hear the screams! Why!"

"I think I understand. I know why. It's because I can. In that place, at that time, I am nothing but all powerful. For any one else to attack me was foolish, and, surely they knew that? Do not weep, from what I understand of the subject at hand, they survive still, but as something else. They should be thankful; I granted them the gift of transcendence!"

"You're sick! I heard the crunch as you pulped their bones and…ugh, If I wasn't dead, I'd be hurling right now!"

"Yes, about that; don't you think it's time to return? Don't you think you're loved ones miss you? Don't you wish to hold your beloved in your arms once more?"

"Well, yeah, sure. I mean…look, I need to know; did you really just manipulate things so we'd fall in love?"  
"Of course"

"So, so it's all a sham? All we've shared, all we've meant to each other?"

"Can you truly believe that?"

"Well…"

"Child, child, child; yes, I manipulated events, I even may have tugged at the heart a little here and there, but do you really think I could have achieved what I have without there being something to begin with. Face it, you two were destined to be together; I just helped things along a little."

"I want to believe you…"

"Just go home, little one, go to your world, and see, when you open your eyes, you'll understand. I will see you next time you visit."

"Yeah…after today, I don't think I'll be visiting for a LONG time."

"Oh I don't know…three weeks, four days, seven hours, sixteen minutes and 5 seconds!" his voice trailed of as his body faded.

She opened her eyes, and saw white, blinding, perfect. It took her a moment to adjust, to realise that she was, once more, in her own body, alive and well. She stared for a moment at the ceiling, then a noise to her right caught her attention. She turned. It was Ron, but something was wrong. She realised that his smile was gone, the childlike wonder lost from his eyes. It looked like he hadn't slept in days. He was crying, softly. She looked intently on the one whom she had loved, whom she had been influenced into loving, who, if not for that influence, she may not even have been friends with, and she realised…she didn't care. None of that stuff mattered, because, right here, right now, he was hers, and he was dying inside, and her heart broke. She reached out a feeble hand and stroked his cheek. He started at her touch.  
"Kim! Your alright!" he embraced her tight, forcing the little breath she had out of her lungs.

"Ron…a little gentler, please!" she gasped. He let go immediately, and almost blushed with embarrassment.

"Sorry. I, uh, I guess I don't know my own strength, huh?" he sighed and sank a little "I'm, I'm sorry."  
"It's no big, Ron, I'm just a little weak right now."

"I know. But, I mean, I… I failed you. I let that, that freak do this to you, and I couldn't stop. I understand if you don't want to see me right now."

"Ron, shut up. Please. That has got to be the biggest load I've ever heard. It is not your fault. This was, as far as I know, all his plan to begin with. Of course I want to see you right now, and forever. Your, you're my heart. I think I'm only just starting to realise that. Drakor said something very interesting, when I asked him about how we were manipulated into falling in love. 'When you open your eyes you'll understand', that's what he said, and, at the time I don't think I understood what he meant. Now I do. I saw you, and it felt like a great weight had been lifted from my chest. I saw you crying, and I had to reach out to comfort you. I don't know if any of that makes sense."  
"Perfect sense, Kim, perfect." He leant down and kissed her on her temple, then twined his fingers with her own and rested his head against her. They rested like this for several minutes, eyes closed, revelling in each others company. Finally, the moment passed, they parted.

"So, how long was I...dead for?"

"About 3 days. your parents have not been coping well. Your dad, well, he threw himself into his work, as usual. Your mom, i haven't seen her since, you know. She hasn't left her bed. The Tweebs, they've been really quiet. I'm starting to worry about them."

"Three days? but, but it only felt like an hour, maybe two hours, tops!"

"what happened, Kim? what did he do?"

"I saw Him, Ron, the real Him in his true form. The one we've had to deal with is just an aspect, a fragment of what he is. I saw...Heaven help me, I saw what he could do with us, all of us, if he wished. his body, it isn't flesh, it's...emptyness, it's Void, and it glows as if lit with a dark candle. He towers, vaster than any living thing i've ever seen. These other creatures crowded round in worship, eyes blindfolded, and, every so often, one would shout and whip of it's blindfold and, eyes bleeding and a smile of joy on it's face, it would fall into death. I saw him grasp the bodies of those that attacked him, and reshape them as if they were clay, make them into hideous, terrifying things. Two pairs of wings spread from his shoulder, one set those of a raven, the other, like a bat, a demon, a, a dragon. He never touched the ground, always hovering, refusing to allow his feet to press the base clay." She shuddered, and gripped her shoulders. "I hope that I never have to see that again." Ron wrapped his arms around her again, and embraced her.

"Sh, Sh, it's alright Kim, It's alright. I won't let it hapen again, I'll protect you. I don't know how, but we'll stop Him."

"I wish I had your confidence. After seeing what he could do, seeing what he is, feeling the horrible cold of the Void that is his flesh, I Just don't know what we can do."

"I know we'll do it, Kim, i know **_you_ **can do it. Your Kim Possible, you can do anything, and i believe in you." He kissed her cheek, and then her lips. She kissed him back, placing her hands at his cheeks. a cough at the door broke them apart.  
"Dad!"

"Kim, it's so good to have you back!" he rushed to her, and embraced her, then called over his shoulder to the door "Honey! She's back, She's alright!" Soon her mother joined them as well. Ron smiled at the scene, and, thinking it prudent, left them to become reaquainted, going to the living room and seating himself on the sofa. he sighed, and rubbed his eyes, relieved that kim was better, and, hopefully, life would go back to what passed for normal. After some time he felt a hand on his shoulder, and, turning round, found that it was Kim's dad.

"Hey, how is she doing?"

"Just fine, still weak, and very tired, but she's going to be ok." The redness of his eyes showed that he had been crying. "Ron, what are you doing down here? why did you leave the room?"

"I thought that, maybe, you'd like to spend some time together, you know, just the family."

"Ron, look, after everything, I don't think you have to worry about that anymore. You have always been there for my Kim, and I don't think you left her side once in all the time she was out. I, I don't think she could have made it without your support. As far as I'm concerned, Ron, you are a member of this family." he smiled, and grasped Ron's shoulder in a fatherly manner. "I think you should go back up there, she needs you now as much as ever."

"Thank you, Dr P, that really means a lot to me, that you feel this way, that you accept Kim and I's relationship."

"Please, call me James."

"Sure. James." he sighed and clenched his eyes shut. "however, there is something i feel i should talk to you about. the other day, at the start of this whole mess, I came here, in the middle of the night, and me and Kim, we, uh, we..." he gulped. "You know. Anyway, I'm sorry. It was a huge betrayal of your trust in us." he sighed, and waited for the inevitable response.

"Hmm. I see. You realise that you have put me in an awkward position. I have already accepted you into this family, and I am loath to withdraw that, but you have in a way betrayed me. I realise that you did it out of love, but that still does not totally excuse you, both of you. However, i am going to be lenient, in light of your recent trials, and because my daughter loves you more than life itself. Also, your honesty, right now, speaks highly of your character. It's simple. You and Kim can do whatever you want together, be together as much as you want, but I do not want to know about it. Don't consider it sneaking around, consider it sparing an old mans feelings. do I make myself clear?"

"I think so."

"Good. now back you go. she'll be waiting for you."

Ron ran back upstairs to his waiting beloved, and embraced her again.

Dr Possible smiled, and wiped a tear from his eye. He was still, at heart, an old romantic. Of course, he had heard them, that night, he would have had to be deaf not to, and would have stormed into the room and stopped them, but something, thankfully, stayed his hand. He chuckled, and remembered his own youth. He climbed the stairs, and waited while Kim and Ron, haltingly, explained their story. At Kim's insistance, Ron pulled up his top, revealing the scar, by now returned to it's normal, red, bloody appearance, rather than the odd eldritch sigil that once replaced it. The unveiling drew gasps, and even Kim, who had seen it countless times by now, brushed away a tear and felt an overwhelming urge to hold him.

Her parents left the room, leaving them in each others arms, and sharing a glance, departed. Her mother called the hospital where she worked, and ordered a brace of tests for them both, just to see if there was anything medical that could explain it all away, and to ensure that their recent trials had not, in any way damaged them physically. Eventually, they turned up nothing. No explanation could be found but that already given.


End file.
